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Evaluation of DEET and eight essential oils for repellency against nymphs of the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae)

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Abstract

DEET and Eight commercially available essential oils (oregano, clove, thyme, vetiver, sandalwood, cinnamon, cedarwood, and peppermint) were evaluated for repellency against host-seeking nymphs of the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum. Concentration-repellency response was established using the vertical paper bioassay technique for each essential oil and compared with that of N,N-diethyl-3-methyl benzamide (DEET), a standard repellent compound present in many commercial repellent formulations. The effective concentration of DEET that repels 50 % of ticks (EC50) was estimated at 0.02 mg/cm2, while EC50s of the essential oils fall between 0.113 and 0.297 mg/cm2. Based on EC50 estimates, oregano essential oil was the most effective among all essential oils tested, followed by clove, thyme, vetiver, sandalwood, cinnamon, cedarwood, and peppermint oils. None of the tested essential oils demonstrated a level of tick repellency found with DEET. Results from this study illustrated the challenge in search for more effective natural tick repellents.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank James McCrary of USDA, ARS, Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory (IIBBL) for technical support, and Dr. Erika Machtinger (USDA, ARS, IIBBL) for critical review of the manuscript. H. Meng was supported by a scholarship from China Scholarship Council; LM Costa Junior was supported by a Grant from the Science Without Borders Program of CAPES, a Foundation affiliated with the Ministry of Education of Brazil; and AY Li was supported by funds from an ARS in-house Project (#8042-32000-008-00)—Prevention of Arthropod Bites.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. USDA, ARS, Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, 10300 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA

    Hao Meng & Andrew Y. Li

  2. College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, No 20, Road E. 2nd Ring South, Shijiazhuang, 050024, Hebei, China

    Hao Meng & Jingze Liu

  3. Biological and Health Science Center, Federal University of Maranhão, Av. dos portugueses, 1966, Cidade Universitária do Bacanga, São Luís, MA, CEP 65080-805, Brazil

    Livio M. Costa Junior

  4. Department of Biology, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA

    Ivan Castro-Arellano

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  1. Hao Meng
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  2. Andrew Y. Li
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  3. Livio M. Costa Junior
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Correspondence to Andrew Y. Li.

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This article reports the results of research only. Mention of a proprietary product does not constitute an endorsement or a recommendation by the USDA for its use. The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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Meng, H., Li, A.Y., Costa Junior, L.M. et al. Evaluation of DEET and eight essential oils for repellency against nymphs of the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae). Exp Appl Acarol 68, 241–249 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-015-9994-0

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