THE EFFECTS OF MOSQUITO REPELLENT MADE UP OF

LEMONGRASS AND GARLIC

A Science Investigatory Project

LEANDRO WADE A. ARSOLON

ADRIAN ESPINA

RAYMOND C. COCHESA

STE - 9
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The researchers would like to express their sincerest gratitude and appreciation to the

people who had been very instrumental in the accomplishment of this research work:

Sir Ferdinand A. Abejar, Principal of Calubian National High School, for granting the

researchers the access to all necessary resources during the conduct of this study.

Mrs. Monaliza R. Delantar, their adviser for believing the capabilities of the researchers

and for her invaluable guidance, encouragement, suggestions, and generous assistance throughout

the preparation of this research paper.

Mrs. Lina Flor A. Arsolon, Mr. and Mrs. Espina and Mr. and Mrs. Cochesa for their

unconditional support for the completion of this study.

Mr. Jeffer R. Dela Pe͠͠na and Mrs. Ivy B. Dela Pena, for their invaluable support for the

conduct of this study.

Mrs. Lina Flor A. Arsolon, Mr. and Mrs. Espina and Mr. and Mrs. Cochesa for their

prayers, endless love, constant encouragement and for being always with him during the conduct

of this study.

Relatives and friends for the encouragement and support for the conduct of this study.

To God Almighty, above all, for bestowing on them the courage and strength in

overcoming the trials they went through, and for giving them the knowledge and wisdom needed

in the realization of this study.

 ABSTRACT

Mosquitos are vector agents that carry disease doing viruses and parasites that lead to

dangerous diseases from one individual to individual without catching the disease themselves. It

prefers people over others. An example of this is dengue, wherein according to WHO, dengue is a

viral infection transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. The primary vectors

that transmit the disease are Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and, to a lesser extent, Ae. albopictus. The

virus responsible for causing dengue, is called dengue virus (DENV).

Lemongrass and garlic were one of the options of product materials in helping prevent and

avoid mosquito bites. Lemon grass commonly found here in the Philippines which was usually

used as spices in cooking like a Filipino dish called tinola and any other variety of Filipino foods

that uses lemon grass as spices. Garlic, which was well known also for its aroma and its effect on

foods. Garlic were also one of the most famous spices many chefs or people who love and know

how to cook use.

Lemongrass and garlic as mosquito repellent found effective and useful and easy to make
and very affordable. This can be used and made easily in any household. The process also was
easy prior to the test and observation. Allowing this product to use effectively most importantly
during rainy seasons were massive number of mosquitoes be evident in the surroundings in every
area possible for mosquitoes to stay and lay eggs. It’s a matter of effectivity, time and effort.
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

Mosquitos are vector agents that carry disease doing viruses and parasites that lead to

dangerous diseases from one individual to individual without catching the disease themselves. It

prefers people over others. An example of this is dengue, wherein according to WHO, dengue is a

viral infection transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. The primary vectors

that transmit the disease are Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and, to a lesser extent, Ae. albopictus. The

virus responsible for causing dengue, is called dengue virus (DENV).

Rainy seasons, clogged drainage, stocked water in a corner or in any containers can cause

a massive number of mosquitos where they can occupy and lay eggs. Several cleaning operations

in many establishments like schools, construction buildings, houses were established to prevent

further mosquito related diseases. Monthly major clean-up drive was established in our area to

prevent mosquito related diseases with the goal of beautification and clean and green environment.

Lemon grass and garlic were one of the options of product materials in helping prevent and

avoid mosquito bites. Lemon grass commonly found here in the Philippines which was usually

used as spices in cooking like a Filipino dish called tinola and any other variety of Filipino foods

that uses lemon grass as spices. Garlic, which was well known also for its aroma and its effect on

foods. Garlic were also one of the most famous spices many chefs or people who love and know

how to cook use.

 Based on the previous studies made on this project is the most plants contain compounds

that they use in preventing attack from phytophagous (plant eating) insects. These chemicals fall

into several categories, including repellents, feeding deterrents, toxins, and growth regulators.

Most can be grouped into five major chemical categories: nitrogen compounds (primarily

alkaloids), terpenoids, phenolics,proteinase inhibitors, and growth regulators. Although the

primary functions of these compounds is defence against phytophagous insects, many are also

effective against mosquitoes and other biting Diptera, especially those volatile components

released as a consequence of herbivory.

In a Pubmed search using the terms “plant” and “repellent” and “mosquito” in the past 5

years, 87 results were shown. These studies can be broken down into a series of categories:

standard ethnobotanical studies and evaluations of plants that are traditionally used to repel

mosquitoes standard dose response,aboratory evaluations of solvent extractions of plants without

DEET positive controls standard dose response laboratory evaluations of solvent or extractions or

essential oils of plants with DEET positive controls coupled with GC-MS (coupled gas

chromatography-mass spectrometry) laboratory evaluations using time to first bite method

comparing the plant repellents to DEET and in addition several of those studies also analysed the

constituents of the oil through GC-MS. In addition there were a large number of studies that did

not use the accepted standard methodology and should be interpreted with caution.
Statement of the problem

The main problem of this study is to make an experiment about how to make an eco-bag

made up of banana stem fiber and its purpose.

Specifically, it attempts to answer the following questions:

1. Can the home-made mosquito repellent be efficient in repelling the insects?

2. How long does the effectivity of the lemongrass and garlic mosquito repellent last?

Hypothesis

Ho: home-made mosquito repellents made up of lemongrass and garlic are effective

Ha: home-made mosquito repellents made up of lemongrass and garlic are not effective
Framework of the study

effects of mosquito repellent

made up of lemongrass and
garlic

mosquito

effectivity, process and

time it’ll last
Significance of the study

This study will contribute to the following:

• Community – avoid and prevent mosquito related diseases

• School – to expand the knowledge and ideas about the importance of

mosquito repellents

• Researchers – to be able to expand the ideas on making a mosquito repellent

made up of lemongrass and garlic

• Future researchers – to be able to gather future more ideas about making a

mosquito repellent made up of lemon grass and garlic other related to this

study

• Society – help the society not to catch diseases that are caused by mosquitoes

Scope and Limitation of the study

The study is only limited to the production of experimental research type of the

students from Calubian National High School (CNHS) living in Brgy. Tigbawan Leyte, Leyte,

Brgy. Toctoc Leyte, Leyte and Brgy. Nipa, Calubian Leyte. It is performed only in the locality of

Tigbawan Leyte, Leyte.

Definition of terms

Mosquito - mosquitoes are small, midge-like flies that constitute the family Culicidae. Females

od most species are ectoparasites, whose tube-like mouthparts pierce the hosts’ skin to consume

blood. The word “mosquito” is Spanish for “little fly”.

Mosquito repellent - a substance that deters the mosquitoes from approaching or settling.
Lemon Grass - a fragrant tropical grass that yields an oil that smells a lemon. It is widely used in

Asian for cooking and in perfumery and medicine.

Garlic - a strong-smelling pungent-tasting bulb, used as a flavoring in cooking and in a herbal

medicine. The plant, closely related to the onion, that produces this bulb.

Repellent - able to repel a particular thing; impervious to a particular substance.

 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The review of literature for this study focuses on the properties, benefits and

effectiveness of Lemongrass and Garlic as Mosquito Repellents. Using Lemongrass and Garlic as

an insect repellent with its pleasing aroma and overall effectiveness were evident through the

related studies.

Lemongrass has insecticidal properties and the extracted oil is used as insect

repellent. Its extracted will help repel mosquitoes. The oil of the lemongrass is extracted

by steam distillation which is simply by pouring boiling water over foliage (Cruz, 2004).

From the Weed Society of Pakistan (2019), it is stated that the components

of lemongrass oil varied with where they are planned. Hence, major constituents of lemongrass

oil are citral, geranoil, mycerence, citronellal, and limonene. According to

homeguides.safegate.com, lemongrass gas large amount of geranial and neural and small amounts

of geraniol and citronellal which are used for repelling insects.

Citronella Grass (Lemongrass) are the species used for production of citronella

oil, which is used in soaps, as a mosquito repellent in insects spray sand candles, and in

aromatherapy. The oil of Citronella has been used for over 50 years as an insect repellent. Research

has shown that citronella helps to reduce mosquito landing around 40%. It works on insects without

harming or killing them. It has a distinctive odor which may make it difficult for some insect to

locate the host (Ghosh, 2005).

As stated by organicfacts.net, some health benefits that lemongrass oil gives are

analgesic, meaning they relieve pain. The oil is also an anti-depressant, at the same
time antibacterial. Aegis Pest Service states that, “Unlike the DEET insect repellent spray, which

can be poisonous, lemongrass is organic and safe. It is also registered in the list of EPA-GRAS, or

what the Environmental Protection Agency considers generally safe. It doesn’t contain any

chemical substances that may irritate a sensitive skin immediately.

Another certain benefit of making lemongrass as an insect repellent is its financial

benefit, it is said that some bottle of lemongrass insect repellent costs 40.00 it is highly affordable

than the other chemical insect repellent that can be brought in the market (Fernandez, 2013).

Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium

its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. With a history of human use

of over 7,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long 1een a staple in the #editerranean

region, as 0ell as a frequent seasoning in Asia, Africa, and Europe. It was known to Ancient

Egyptian, and has 1een used for both culinary and medicinal purposes.

On Garlic According to Onyeagba et al. (2014), “Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is one

of those plants that were seriously investigated over several years and used for centuries to fight

infectious diseases. The taxonomic 9

position of garlic and related genre had been a matter of controversy for long period of time.”

Friesen et al. (2013), stated that “The most recent classification scheme of garlic was class

Liliopsida, subclass Liliidae, superorder Liliianae, order Amaryllidales, family Alliaceae,

subfamily Allioideae, tribe Allieae and genus Allium which is mainly based on the sequences of

nuclear ribosomal DNA.” Garlic has been found that it contains a large number of potent bioactive

compounds. Garlic contains at least 33 sulfur compounds, several enzymes and the minerals
germanium, calcium, copper, iron, potassium, magnesium, selenium and zinc; vitamins A, B1 and

C, fiber and water. It also contains 17 amino acids to be found in garlic: lysine, histidine, arginine,

aspartic acid threonine, swine, glutamine, proline, glycine, alanine, cysteine, valine, methionine,

isoleucine, leucine, tryptophan and phenylalanine. It has a higher concentration of sulfur

compounds than any other Allium species which are responsible both for garlic’s pungent odor

and many of its medicinal effects (Josling, 2005). One of the most biologically active compounds

in garlic is allicin (diallyl thiosulfinate or diallyldisulfide while the most abundant sulfur

compound in garlic is alliin (Sallylcysteine sulfoxide), which is present at 10 and 30 mg/g in fresh

and dry garlic, respectively (Lawson, 2012).

As noted by Martinez (2016), “Garlic essential oil, diallyl disulfide, and diallyl sulfide

oil were used to compare the lethal effects on larvae, pupae and adults of T. Molitor. Six

concentrations of garlic essential oil and their principal constituents were topically applied onto

larvae, pupae and adults of this insect. Diallyl disulfide is an organosulfur compound derived from

garlic and a few other genus Allium plants. Along with diallyl trisulfide and diallyl tetrasulfide, it

is one of the principal components of the distilled oil of garlic. It is a yellowish liquid which is

insoluble in water and has a strong garlic odor.” On Mosquito Larvae Mosquito Larvae, commonly

called “wrigglers”, live in water from 4-14 days depending on water temperature. Larvae of almost

species must come to the surface at frequent intervals to obtain oxygen through a breathing tube

called a siphon. Larvae of Couillettida and Mansonia possess modified siphons that allow them to

pierce the stems of emergent vegetation in water and draw their oxygen from the plant in this

process. Larvae are constantly feeding since maturation requires a huge amount of energy and

food. They hang with their mouths to nourish the growing larvae. They feed on algae, plankton,

fungi and bacteria and other microorganisms. They breathe at water surface tension. The larvae of
a few mosquito species are cannibalistic, feeding on larvae of other mosquitoes: Toxorhynchites

and some Psorophora.

On Garlic According the study,” Insecticidal activity of garlic extract and their

constituents against the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus (Coleoptera:

Tenebrionidae)” states that insecticidal activity of the garlic extract and its compounds against the

mealworm beetle, T. molitor were determined from the bioassays in the laboratory conditions.

Garlic extract caused substantial mortality and repellency in larva, pupa, and adult stages. The best

results were obtained with concentrations of 16 and 32% in T. Molitor as reported for other stored

grain pests according to the concentration of these products.

 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

Research Subject

The study uses observational type of research only includes one respondent with asked

with a proper permission to use and test the product which is the mosquito repellent made up of

lemon grass and garlic.

Research Locale

The study was conducted at the researcher’s household located at Brgy. Tigbawan Leyte,

Leyte.

Research Design

This study uses an experimental research design. The data will be used to gather the

answers and results for the purpose of this study as well as the flow or result of the process.

General Procedure

The researchers gather all the ingredients for the said experiment or product to be made.

The ingredients include lemon grass and garlic as the main ingredients. Once all is ready, the

researchers next step was to boil the lemon grass with clean water and then while waiting for the

lemon grass to boil, the researchers crushed the remaining ingredients which is garlic, then extract

its juices using a thin white clothe perfect use for extracting its juices. Once the lemon grass boils,

the researchers removed the lemon grass leaving it boiled lemon grass water then mix it with the
garlic extract. In addition, the researchers use an average amount of water and 6 pieces of garlic

for the mosquito repellent.

 CHAPTER IV

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

Presentation of Data

Time effectivity result How long does it last

2-5 hours, depends on the

No mosquito goes to an sprayed or
2 min √ amount of the product sprayed
where the repellents applied
or put to a certain are

Analysis and Interpretation of Data

The study, the effects of mosquito repellent made up of lemon grass and garlic found to be

effective in terms of avoiding mosquito bites and repelled mosquitoes. The researchers observed

that in a span of two minutes, no mosquito was seen on the said area where before he started the

test, he found many in there. He observed the test and found out that it last 2-5 hours depending

on the amount of mosquito repellent were sprayed.

 CHAPTER V

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Summary of findings

The mosquito repellent made up of lemongrass and garlic, found to be effective and can

last longer than anyone expect. It also answers to the given statement of the problem based on the

presented data shown.

Conclusion

The product was successfully made and effective. The purpose of this data it to determine

and observe the effects of mosquito repellent made up of lemongrass and garlic which was found

effective and answers the given statement of the problem. The product ingredients can be found in

the locality and can be made easily at home. The product can be effectively use as mosquito

repellent without buying those products with expensive or average prices.

Recommendation

The process of this study is worth the wait. This can be used by future researchers to expand

their knowledge and developed more using the said product which is lemongrass and garlic.

For future purpose, this will help them made mosquito repellents in an easy and affordable

way.
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