How did the research turn out? What were the findings? Researchers themselves report briefly on the research they have undertaken with funding support from the Formas Research Council.
Editor: Margaretha Nordahl
Plants as a source of natural repellents for ticks and mosquitoes
Thomas Jaenson (project leader)
Summary of results with list of publications from Uppsala University.
Email: Thomas.Jaenson@ebc.uu.se
Many infections are transmitted via blood-feeding ectoparasites to both animals and humans. Ticks and mosquitoes are attracted to potential host animals through chemical stimuli. This problem is mainly alleviated by synthetic chemical insecticides. These are expensive and often result in rapid development of resistance, and may also give rise to negative effects in the environment. Research in Sweden, Central America and South-East Asia has however shown that traditionally used plants have a strong repellent effect on blood-feeding insects. The objective of this project was to analyse how such plant based substances can be used to protect humans and animals from ticks and mosquitoes.
Responsible for this page: Kerstin Franklin