The Need for Future Research on the Impact of Essential Oil Repellents in Patch Form to Prevent Mosquito Bites

Rachel Harris Blanton; Gary Tramer

doi:doi:10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12

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The Need for Future Research on the Impact of Essential Oil Repellents in Patch Form to Prevent Mosquito Bites

Rachel Harris Blanton^*

, Gary Tramer

Published in American Journal of Entomology (Volume 9, Issue 2)

Received: 9 April 2025 Accepted: 18 April 2025 Published: 9 May 2025

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Abstract

There exists a large body of research indicating repellent properties of various essentials oil (EO) formulations, with a particular emphasis on repellant impact on multiple mosquito species with the ability to carry and spread diseases such as dengue, malaria and Zika virus. This presents an alternative to chemical repellents such as N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) that have been identified as effective in repelling potentially harmful mosquitos yet toxic to human and environmental health. The literature suggests EOs represent a safer and less toxic alternative for humans and the broader environment. In addition, recent research indicates diminishing effect of chemical repellents as resistance is developed. This same phenomenon has not been reported for EOs yet their widespread use is limited by their relatively short active times for repellant actions given high compound volatility. To date, microencapsulation and nanoencapsulation of EOs has been identified as a promising practice. However, additional vectors of EO application use such as the use of EO patches for commercial distribution lacks research with only one published article currently available showing promising repellent properties for mosquitos. This article emphasizes the literature supporting the use of EOs and the opportunity for future research using patch applications for tolerability, access and duration in human repellants.

Published in	American Journal of Entomology (Volume 9, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12
Page(s)	77-80
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Mosquito Borne Diseases, Repellents, Non-toxic, Essential Oils, Patch

References

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[2]	Priya, S., Vasantha-Srinivasan, P., Altemimi, A., Keerthan, R., Radhakrishnan, N., Senthil-Nathan, S., Proćków, J. Bioactive Molecules Derived from Plants in Managing Dengue Vector Aedes aegypti (Linn.). Molecules. 2023, 28(5), pp. 2386. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28052386
[3]	Ghayempour, S. and Montazer, M. Micro/nanoencapsulation of essential oils and fragrances: Focus on perfumed, antimicrobial, mosquito-repellent and medical textiles. J Microencapsul. 2016, 33(6), pp. 497-510. https://doi.org/10.1080/02652048.2016.1216187
[4]	Chattopadhyay, P., Dhiman, S., Borah, S., Rabha, B., Chaurasia, A., & Veer, V. Essential oil based polymeric patch development and evaluating its repellent activity against mosquitoes. Acta Tropica. 2015, 147, pp. 45-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2015.03.027
[5]	Batume, C., Mulongo, I., Ludlow, R., Ssebaale, J., Randerson, P., Pickett, J., Scofield, S. Evaluating repellence properties of catnip essential oil against the mosquito species Aedes aegypti using a Y-tube olfactometer. Sci Rep. 2024, Vol. 14., 2269. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-52715-y
[6]	Sutthanont, N., Sudsawang, M., Phanpoowong, T., Sriwichai, P., Ruangsittichai, J., Rotejanaprasert, C., & Srisawat, R. Effectiveness of Herbal Essential Oils as Single and Combined Repellents against Aedes aegypti, Anopheles dirus and Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae). Insects. 2022, 21(13), p. 658. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13070658
[7]	Luker, H. A., Salas, K. R. and Esmaeili, D. Repellent efficacy of 20 essential oils on Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and Ixodes scapularis ticks in contact-repellency assays. Sci Rep. 2023, 13, p. 1705.
[8]	Corzo-Gómez, J., Espinosa-Juárez, J., Ovando-Zambrano, J., Briones-Aranda, A., Cruz-Salomón, A., & Esquinca-Avilés, H. A Review of Botanical Extracts with Repellent and Insecticidal Activity and Their Suitability for Managing Mosquito-Borne Disease Risk in Mexico. Pathogens. 2024, 19(9), p. 737. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13090737
[9]	Silvério, M., Espindola, L., Lopes, N., & Vieira, P. Plant Natural Products for the Control of Aedes aegypti: The Main Vector of Important Arboviruses. Molecules. 2020, 25(15), p. 3484. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25153484
[10]	Almeida, A., Oliveira, N., Pinheiro, F., Morais, W., & Ferreira, L. Challenges encountered by natural repellents: Since obtaining until the final product. Pestic Biochem Physiol. 2023, 195, p. 105538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pestbp.2023.105538
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APA Style

Blanton, R. H., Tramer, G. (2025). The Need for Future Research on the Impact of Essential Oil Repellents in Patch Form to Prevent Mosquito Bites. American Journal of Entomology, 9(2), 77-80. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12

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ACS Style

Blanton, R. H.; Tramer, G. The Need for Future Research on the Impact of Essential Oil Repellents in Patch Form to Prevent Mosquito Bites. Am. J. Entomol. 2025, 9(2), 77-80. doi: 10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12

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AMA Style

Blanton RH, Tramer G. The Need for Future Research on the Impact of Essential Oil Repellents in Patch Form to Prevent Mosquito Bites. Am J Entomol. 2025;9(2):77-80. doi: 10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12

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@article{10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12,
  author = {Rachel Harris Blanton and Gary Tramer},
  title = {The Need for Future Research on the Impact of Essential Oil Repellents in Patch Form to Prevent Mosquito Bites
},
  journal = {American Journal of Entomology},
  volume = {9},
  number = {2},
  pages = {77-80},
  doi = {10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.aje.20250902.12},
  abstract = {There exists a large body of research indicating repellent properties of various essentials oil (EO) formulations, with a particular emphasis on repellant impact on multiple mosquito species with the ability to carry and spread diseases such as dengue, malaria and Zika virus. This presents an alternative to chemical repellents such as N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) that have been identified as effective in repelling potentially harmful mosquitos yet toxic to human and environmental health. The literature suggests EOs represent a safer and less toxic alternative for humans and the broader environment. In addition, recent research indicates diminishing effect of chemical repellents as resistance is developed. This same phenomenon has not been reported for EOs yet their widespread use is limited by their relatively short active times for repellant actions given high compound volatility. To date, microencapsulation and nanoencapsulation of EOs has been identified as a promising practice. However, additional vectors of EO application use such as the use of EO patches for commercial distribution lacks research with only one published article currently available showing promising repellent properties for mosquitos. This article emphasizes the literature supporting the use of EOs and the opportunity for future research using patch applications for tolerability, access and duration in human repellants.
},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Need for Future Research on the Impact of Essential Oil Repellents in Patch Form to Prevent Mosquito Bites

AU  - Rachel Harris Blanton
AU  - Gary Tramer
Y1  - 2025/05/09
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12
T2  - American Journal of Entomology
JF  - American Journal of Entomology
JO  - American Journal of Entomology
SP  - 77
EP  - 80
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-0537
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12
AB  - There exists a large body of research indicating repellent properties of various essentials oil (EO) formulations, with a particular emphasis on repellant impact on multiple mosquito species with the ability to carry and spread diseases such as dengue, malaria and Zika virus. This presents an alternative to chemical repellents such as N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) that have been identified as effective in repelling potentially harmful mosquitos yet toxic to human and environmental health. The literature suggests EOs represent a safer and less toxic alternative for humans and the broader environment. In addition, recent research indicates diminishing effect of chemical repellents as resistance is developed. This same phenomenon has not been reported for EOs yet their widespread use is limited by their relatively short active times for repellant actions given high compound volatility. To date, microencapsulation and nanoencapsulation of EOs has been identified as a promising practice. However, additional vectors of EO application use such as the use of EO patches for commercial distribution lacks research with only one published article currently available showing promising repellent properties for mosquitos. This article emphasizes the literature supporting the use of EOs and the opportunity for future research using patch applications for tolerability, access and duration in human repellants.

VL  - 9
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Rachel Harris Blanton

Convergent Care Collective, Fort Collins, USA

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0002-3020-4736
Gary Tramer

NatPat, Melbourne, Australia

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Blanton, R. H., Tramer, G. (2025). The Need for Future Research on the Impact of Essential Oil Repellents in Patch Form to Prevent Mosquito Bites. American Journal of Entomology, 9(2), 77-80. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12

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ACS Style

Blanton, R. H.; Tramer, G. The Need for Future Research on the Impact of Essential Oil Repellents in Patch Form to Prevent Mosquito Bites. Am. J. Entomol. 2025, 9(2), 77-80. doi: 10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Blanton RH, Tramer G. The Need for Future Research on the Impact of Essential Oil Repellents in Patch Form to Prevent Mosquito Bites. Am J Entomol. 2025;9(2):77-80. doi: 10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12,
  author = {Rachel Harris Blanton and Gary Tramer},
  title = {The Need for Future Research on the Impact of Essential Oil Repellents in Patch Form to Prevent Mosquito Bites
},
  journal = {American Journal of Entomology},
  volume = {9},
  number = {2},
  pages = {77-80},
  doi = {10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.aje.20250902.12},
  abstract = {There exists a large body of research indicating repellent properties of various essentials oil (EO) formulations, with a particular emphasis on repellant impact on multiple mosquito species with the ability to carry and spread diseases such as dengue, malaria and Zika virus. This presents an alternative to chemical repellents such as N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) that have been identified as effective in repelling potentially harmful mosquitos yet toxic to human and environmental health. The literature suggests EOs represent a safer and less toxic alternative for humans and the broader environment. In addition, recent research indicates diminishing effect of chemical repellents as resistance is developed. This same phenomenon has not been reported for EOs yet their widespread use is limited by their relatively short active times for repellant actions given high compound volatility. To date, microencapsulation and nanoencapsulation of EOs has been identified as a promising practice. However, additional vectors of EO application use such as the use of EO patches for commercial distribution lacks research with only one published article currently available showing promising repellent properties for mosquitos. This article emphasizes the literature supporting the use of EOs and the opportunity for future research using patch applications for tolerability, access and duration in human repellants.
},
 year = {2025}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Need for Future Research on the Impact of Essential Oil Repellents in Patch Form to Prevent Mosquito Bites

AU  - Rachel Harris Blanton
AU  - Gary Tramer
Y1  - 2025/05/09
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12
T2  - American Journal of Entomology
JF  - American Journal of Entomology
JO  - American Journal of Entomology
SP  - 77
EP  - 80
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-0537
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aje.20250902.12
AB  - There exists a large body of research indicating repellent properties of various essentials oil (EO) formulations, with a particular emphasis on repellant impact on multiple mosquito species with the ability to carry and spread diseases such as dengue, malaria and Zika virus. This presents an alternative to chemical repellents such as N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) that have been identified as effective in repelling potentially harmful mosquitos yet toxic to human and environmental health. The literature suggests EOs represent a safer and less toxic alternative for humans and the broader environment. In addition, recent research indicates diminishing effect of chemical repellents as resistance is developed. This same phenomenon has not been reported for EOs yet their widespread use is limited by their relatively short active times for repellant actions given high compound volatility. To date, microencapsulation and nanoencapsulation of EOs has been identified as a promising practice. However, additional vectors of EO application use such as the use of EO patches for commercial distribution lacks research with only one published article currently available showing promising repellent properties for mosquitos. This article emphasizes the literature supporting the use of EOs and the opportunity for future research using patch applications for tolerability, access and duration in human repellants.

VL  - 9
IS  - 2
ER  -

Copy | Download