Indoor protection against mosquito and sand fly bites: a comparison between citronella, linalool, and geraniol candles.

Günter C. Müller, Amy Junnila, Vasiliy D. Kravchenko, Edita E. Revay, Jerry Butlers, Yosef Schlein

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The repellent effect of 3 essential-oil-based candles was evaluated in a high biting pressure environment in Israel. In human landing assays, the repellency rate of 5% citronella candles against mosquitoes was 29.0%, of 5% linalool candles was 71.1%, and of 5% geraniol candles was 85.4%. The candles with geraniol were about twice as effective as those with linalool and were about 5 times as effective as citronella candles in protecting a person from being bitten indoors by mosquitoes. The repellency rate of 5% citronella candles towards sand flies was 24.7%, of 5% linalool candles was 55.2%, and of 5% geraniol candles was 79.7%. A geraniol candle was almost 5 times as effective as a citronella candle and about twice as effective as a linalool candle in protecting a person from being bitten indoors by sand flies.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)150-153
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of the American Mosquito Control Association
Volume24
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2008
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Insect Science

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