Abstract

ARAGON GARCIA, Agustín et al. Cymbopogon nardus oil and Pelargonium citrosum as repellents for Culex quinquefasciatus. Rev. Mex. Cienc. Agríc [online]. 2014, vol.5, n.4, pp.591-603. ISSN 2007-0934.

Mosquitoes are one of the insect groups causing damage and discomfort in living beings, they are also disease vectors. The generalized method to avoid insect-related problems is the application of synthetic chemicals, but poor management and abuse cause resistance to these products and there are increasingly more organisms. Based on the above, the present study evaluated the repellent effectiveness of flammable and nonflammable citronella (Cymbopogon nardus L.) essential oils, the Pelargonium citrosum (Van) plant and a commercial plant extracts gel, on Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) mosquito adults. In University City from theAutonomous University of Puebla (BUAP), from June to September 2010, five trials with different number of treatments were conducted. Both flammable and nonflammable commercial citronella oils (C. nardus) effectively acted as repellents against C. quinquefasciatus, obtaining best results from the combination of both oils. The gel made from bay, lemon verbena and lavender is a natural insect repellent that only allows between 14 and 23 mosquitoes to land and P. citrosum plant acts as a repellent to mosquitoes at distances of 9 m².

Keywords : Cymbopogon nardus; Pelargonium citrosum; Culex quinquefasciatus; essential oil.

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