Mosquito Oviposition Deterring and Larvicidal Effect of Cinnamaldehyde and Eugenol

Abstract

Aedes spp. females feed from various hosts including humans and can vector arboviruses of public health importance like dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses. These infections affect millions of people so insect populations need to be monitored and effectively controlled. Cinnamaldehyde and eugenol are naturally occurring compounds found in essential oils of various spices like cinnamon, cloves, cassia and have different biological activities. I investigated the larvicidal and oviposition deterrence effects of cinnamaldehyde and eugenol against Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. Both chemicals effectively killed mosquito larvae and deterred female oviposition for both mosquito species at 50-200 μg/mL concentration. Larvicidal and oviposition-deterrent compounds like cinnamaldehyde and eugenol are useful in biological control of mosquitoes. They offer the potential to reduce population numbers by killing immature stages and repelling mosquitoes away from human settlements.