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Controlling mosquitoes is of utmost importance in the present day scenario with rising number of
mosquito borne diseases. An alarming increase in the range of mosquitoes is mainly due to
deforestation, industrialized farming and stagnant water. Thus, special products like mosquito
repellents for combating mosquitoes are required. The products used for mosquito control have varying
degrees of effectiveness. Carbon dioxide and lactic acid present in sweat in warm-blooded animals
act as an attractive substance for mosquitoes. The perception of the odor is through chemoreceptors
present in the antennae of mosquitoes. Insect repellents work by masking human scent. A number of
natural and chemical mosquito repellents were studied in many research papers and review papers
that work to repel mosquitoes. Mosquito repellents based on chemicals has a remarkable safety
profile, but they are toxic against the skin and nervous system like rashes, swelling, eye irritation,
and worse problems, though unusual including brain swelling in children, anaphylactic shock, and
low blood pressure. Hence, natural mosquito repellents were preferred over chemical mosquito
repellents.
Recently, steps have been taken to study the attraction of these insects to their hosts and thereby attempt
to cut off the lethal action of these pests at the source itself (Rose and Geier, 2013). In the Philippines,
numerous mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, malaria, and filariasis continue to affect each individual
in order to keep mosquitoes away indoor is by using insect repellent such as bug sprays and mosquito
coils. Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is an infectious disease caused by the dengue virus and is
transmitted through the bite of Ae. aegypti mosquito as the main factor. One of the methods to break
the chain of mosquitoes is by using insecticides to control the vector. This is because the synthetic
insecticides are effective, practical, efficacious and economically more profitable. However, because the
use of synthetic insecticides continuously will cause environmental pollution, the death of a wide variety
of other living things and cause mosquitoes to become resistant, it can even cause mutations of genes in
this species. Synthetic insecticides are bio active, contain chemicals which are difficult to be degraded in
nature so the residue can contaminate the environment and can degrade the quality of the
environment.3 In addition, the presence of synthetic insecticides in the food chain can cause the death
of some other living things and eventually will disrupt the ecosystem stability. Although before it is
produced, synthetic insecticides have undergone very rigorous testing requirements regarding its safety.
Because synthetic insecticide is bio active and a toxic substance, it will always create harmful effect to
humans and environment. Regarding to the side effects which caused by synthetic insecticides, it is
necessary to find alternative materials which not only more environmentally friendly, but also effective
in controlling mosquito population. The use of bioinsecticides as a substitute for synthetic insecticides is
expected to reduce the problem of environmental pollution. This is due to the use of bioinsecticides
does not cause environmental pollution because it contains material that is easily and rapidly degraded
in nature and do not harm the environment, both animal and human. It has been also stated by Quarcoo
et al. in 2014 that the bioinsecticides has superior properties as biodegradable and harmless to humans
and the environment.
Some study had been conducted primarily for the purpose of evaluating the larvicidal activity of
Citrofortunella microcarpa (calamansi) peel EO against third and early fourth instar Aedes aegypti. The
conduct of the study was limited only to the third and early fourth instar larval stages of the Ae.aegypti
mosquito considering that these are stages where the mosquito larvae are most vulnerable. Some study
was also limited to the essential oil from peels of C. microcarpa fruit. The calamansi peel EO used in the
study was commercially purchased. The EO was specifically tested to determine the amount of limonene
present in the product, hence, other components of the EO were not discussed.
Recent case studies had proven that other plant species, specifically leaves can be used as potential
sources of the property called d-limonene which is a great factor that destroys the wax coating of any
insects, especially mosquitoes’ respiratory system. Thus, making it a good repellant.

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Controlling mosquitoes is of utmost importance in the present day scenario with rising number of

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