Mosquito Control with Active Principle of Garlic, Allium sativum

Crude methanolic extracts were obtained from minced dehydrated garlic, Allium sativum L., and after the solvent was removed, the extracts were resuspended in water. An oil fraction was obtained from reconstituted minced dehydrated garlic by steam distillation. Both the crude extract and the oil fraction were found to be larvicidal in nature and active against 3rd-stage larvae of Culex peus Speiser, C. tarsalis Coquillett, Aedes aegypti (L.), A. triseriatus (Say), A. sierrensis (Ludlow), and 3rd- and 4th-stage larvae of highly insecticide-resistant strains of A. nigromaculis (Ludlow). An LC50 for 3rd-stage C. tarsalis larvae was obtained with 25 ppm of crude extract and 2 ppm of a partially purified oil fraction, indicating that the active principle was present in the oil of garlic. The partially purified oil fraction was 12.5 times more potent to this species than the crude extract.