Evaluation of anti-mosquito properties of essential oils

129-133Essential oils from Cedrus deodara, Eucalyptus citriodora, Cymbopogon flexuous, C. winterianus, Pinus roxburghii, Syzygium aromaticum and Tagetes minuta were evaluated for bioactivity against the adults of Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti. Serial dilutions of the oils were made in deodorized kerosene to obtain a range of concentrations (0.5-10%) and the adults were exposed to the vapour of the different oils for 1h in WHO kits for sensitivity testing. C. winterianus and S. aromaticum oils were equi effective and found most effective with LC50 and LC95 values respectively at 0.5 and 0.9 % for C. quinquefasciatus and 1.0 and 2.0 % for A. aegypti. Activity was found in the order: S. aromaticum > C. flexuous > E. citriodora > C. winterianus > C. deodara > T. minuta