Why Garlic Repels Mosquitoes And Prevents Them From Breeding

Garlic has been it is considered as a creation mosquitoes chasing centuries. In popular culture, it is believed that its pungent smell removes this insectswhich, in addition to insomnia, spreads diseases such as dengue fever or malaria. Now, this belief has a scientific explanation.

A group of scientists from Yale University conducted a phytochemical study of 43 fruits and vegetables to identify natural substances that can interfere with the reproductive behavior of flying insects. To do this, the team used fruit flies, species that usually mate on food, as a model species.

Based on this behavior, the researchers concluded that fruits and vegetables may contain substances that can change the reproductive processes of insects. After exposing the different types of crushed foods included in the experiment, they found that none of them had aphrodisiac properties. However, they found that garlic inhibited reproduction and egg laying.

After this first discovery, the researchers wanted to know where it comes from and focused their attention on the influence of garlic on the flies’ sense of taste and smell. To do this, they did two tests. First, they put the garlic puree in such a way that the insects could only smell it; secondly, he also let them taste. The results showed that taste was a factor that inhibited reproductive behavior.

The team conducted a study of garlic’s properties to determine the compound responsible for its effects. They determined that diallyl disulfide was the substance responsible for the inhibition. Instead, this substance acts on a receptor found in the taste buds of flies, known as TrpA1.

The TrpA1 receptor acts as a sensor that initiates immediate rejection responses when it detects potentially negative preferences. According to the story printed in the journal Cell, garlic specifically activates a group of pain nerves that have this receptor. This activation not only causes physical resistance but also changes the cells by changing the expression of different genes.

Some of the changes that have been identified, of genes that are closely related to satiety appear, meaning that exposure to garlic chemicals directly interferes with the biological processes that control the appetite and consumption of insects. The authors report that obesity appears to drive behaviors that reduce reproduction and fertility, particularly in females.

Natural Repellents for Many Organisms

In addition to fruit flies, the experiment was similar to other flying insects, including two species of mosquitoes that transmit diseases such as yellow fever, dengue, and Zika virus, as well as tsetse flies. In all cases, these trials have shown that garlic can act as an effective method of contraception.

What researchers have found shows that this plant, Allium sativum can be used as a tool to control pests that harm human health and agriculture.

“It’s cheap and grown all over the world,” he said John Carlson, a Yale professor and co-author of the study. “The idea of ​​using it to stop hematophagous creatures was proposed in 1897 by Bram Stoker in his book. Draculaand maybe he was telling the truth.”

This article appeared first WIRED in Spanish and translated from Spanish.