Is soybean oil an effective repellent against Aedes aegypti?
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| Authors: | Campbell, C; Gries, G |
| Year: | 2010 |
| Journal: | Canadian Entomologist 142: 405-414 Article Link (DOI) |
| Title: | Is soybean oil an effective repellent against Aedes aegypti? |
| Abstract: | Soybean oil (SO) is considered an active ingredient in commercial BiteBlocker (TM) insect-repellent products. Our objective was to test mechanisms by which SO exhibits repellency, using the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae), as a representative blood-feeding insect. In dual-port glass-cage olfactometers, human hands treated with SO at various concentrations attracted as many mosquitoes as did untreated hands, indicating that SO has no long-range repellent effect. In contrast, hands treated with N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) attracted significantly fewer mosquitoes than did untreated control hands. In cage experiments, treating an area of a human forearm exposed to A. aegypti with SO provided no protection against bites, whereas treating it with DEET did. These results indicate that SO has no short-range or contact repellent properties. Both DEET and the BiteBlocker (TM) product conferred protection for periods similar to those previously reported. Based on our data, classification of SO as an active mosquito repellent should be reconsidered. |
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