REPELLENT EFFECT OF OCIMUM BASILICUM AND GLYCYRRHIZA GLABRA EXTRACTS AGAINST THE MOSQUITO VECTOR,CULEX PIPIENS (DIPTERA: CULICIDAE)

Essential or volatile oils of plants have been variously reported to have many medicinal applications. methanol,acetone and petroleum ether extracts of ocimum basilicum and glycyrrhiza glabra were screened for their repellency effect against culex pipiens mosquito. the repellent action of the present plants extracts were varied depending on the solvent used and dose of extract. methanol extract of o. basilicum exhibited the lowest repellent activity as it recorded 77.4% at 6.7mg/cm2. the petroleum ether and acetone extract of 0. basilicum showed repellency of 98.1 & 84.6% respectively,at dose of 6.7mg/cm2,while methanolic extract of g. glabra recorded 73.8 & 50.3% at dose of 6.7 &1.7mg/cm2 respectively,the petroleum ether and acetone extract of g. glabra showed repellency of 76.3 & 81.6%,respectively at dose of 6.7mg/cm2,compared with the commercial formulation,n.n. diethyl toulamide (deet) which exhibited 100% repellent action at dose of 1.8mg/cm2,respectively. the results may contribute to design an alternative way to control mosquitoes currently based on applications of synthetic insecticides. these extracts could be developed commercially as an effective personal protection meaure against mosquito bites and thus to control diseases caused by mosquito-borne pathogens.