Boxes coated with citronella repel insects.Researchers have used the fragrant grass extract known as citronella oil citronella oil a volatile oil obtained from the grass Cymbopogon nardus or C. winterianus. Used as an insect repellent. to make food cartons that discourage insect infestation infestation /in·fes·ta·tion/ (-fes-ta´shun) parasitic attack or subsistence on the skin and/or its appendages, as by insects, mites, or ticks; sometimes used to denote parasitic invasion of the organs and tissues, as by helminths. . The extract is an ingredient of perfumes and also an insect repellent in products already on the market. The oil kept beetles from entering containers during a test lasting several months. Scientists with the research organization Ensis Papro in Rotorua, New Zealand New Zealand (zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. , made cartons from cardboard that they had treated with one of five commercially available plant extracts. Previous research had suggested that insects avoid those extracts, which included oils of citronella citronella, common name for a grass, Cymbopogon nardus, the source of oil of citronella, used in perfumes and soaps and as an insect repellent. The plant, with bluish green, lemon-scented leaves, is cultivated in Java and Sri Lanka. , garlic, and pine needles. Ken K.Y. Wong and his colleagues placed an unsealed paper bag containing wheat germ and muesli mues·li n. A mixture of usually untoasted rolled oats and dried fruit, often used as a breakfast cereal. [German dialectal, diminutive of German Mus, mush, from Middle High German in each carton. Then, they put two of each kind of chemically armored box, two untreated cardboard cartons, and hundreds of red flour beetles in a large container. Initial tests suggested that the beetles avoided only the citronella-coated cartons. In longer trials, the researchers then compared citronella-treated and untreated cartons. During the first 2 weeks, they_ found that half as many bugs entered the treated cartons.as compared with the untreated ones. The citronella effect dwindled gradually and disappeared by 8 months, Wong and his team report in an upcoming Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.--B.H. |
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