Effectiveness of Lemon Grass (Cymbopogon Marginatus) as an Ingredient of a Insect Repellent Fabric Conditioner

Informed by internet searches and research papers, I concocted a potion of lemon juice, witch hazel, bergamot, and cypress—the ultimate mosquito repellent (or so I hoped). I opened the patio door and gallantly stepped outside, boasting a short-sleeve

The relevant factors in this decision involve looking at the potential advantages of an IGR (insect growth regulator) over the traditional adulticide products currently in the market. With toxicity and safety concerns of these types of products being top of mind for many consumers, the newer IGR products should bring welcome benefits to end consumers using the product on a regular basis.

In this experiment, we tested three different environments, soil, sand, and a leafy mixture to see which one a pill bug would prefer the most. Originally, we believed that the pill bug would find the leafy substance to be most favorable. Five pill bugs and then a single pill bug was placed in the center so that it could select one of the substrates. The data collected at the end of the experiment opposed our original hypothesis as we discovered that the most favored environment was the soil. This finding could correlate with the dark color of the soil closely matching the color of the pill bug or the moisture in the soil.

Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) (Winter 1992). Malathion Insecticide Factsheet. Journal of Pesticide Reform 12(4). Retrieved May 4, 2008, from

The pill bugs were moving more in hot environment than cold temperature and room temperature. The pill bugs made more turning in room temperature than cold and hot environment. The pill bugs made more rounds in room temperature than cold and hot environment. The hypothesis was that pill bugs will react more in moisture or humid environment that others. Based on our result, the hypothesis will be rejected. The reason why the result was not accurate can be due to limitation or errors during the experiment. The fact that the same pill bugs were used for the three trials can be considered as an error because bugs might be tired after the first trial. In future the experiment, different bugs should be used in each trial. Another error can be the condensation that occurred during the heating process. A wet paper was placed in the Petri dish. During the heating process, the water evaporated and since the petri dish was covered with led, the vapor is transformed to water, however, pill bugs do not live in water. In the future experiment, the petri dish should be kept open to avoid the

This experiment involved the testing of pill bugs and whether or not pill bugs prefer fruit over vegetables. The experiment results concluded that the hypothesis was incorrect; that pill bugs do not prefer fruit over vegetables. In the experiment, we observed twenty pill bugs over several five minute intervals. After five minutes, the number of pill bugs near the apple and lettuce were counted, as well as the ones that remained in the center of the container. The experiment was repeated, and the lettuce and apple locations were switched the second time to make sure location was not a factor in the results. In the first thirty-minute experiment, the pill bugs seemed to start off and gradually move toward the lettuce. Near the end of the experiment,

1.) My hypothesis that the insects would be most repelled by the lemon plant extract was not supported. Our key findings in the experiment do not support my hypothesis because the lemon had a 60% repulsion response and was the second most repulsive behind orange with a 70% repulsion response. Although the Earthworms were repelled by the lemon plant extract, they were more so repelled by the orange plant extract. 2.)

Oaklander, Mandy ( May 12, 2015) This Natural Bug repellant works better than Deet! Retrieve from:

In the early 1940’s, a new technology emerged that was able to successfully combat crop-damaging and disease-carrying insects. A new age of synthetic chemical pesticides use arose. After their impressive success in fighting deadly insect-borne diseases during World War II, pesticides were used widely to combat insect pests for agriculture and public health. Few people challenged the benefits of the new scientific and technological products and many embraced pesticide use with enthusiasm. Despite its success, doubts about pesticide use began to appear a decade later in the 1950’s, when the government began a vigorous pesticide campaign across the country against insect pests. Scientists began reporting heavy losses of avian and

The guiding question was “Why do living organisms respond to environmental factors?”. Environmental factors that pill bugs respond to include water and soil since they live in damp environments. We used these two factors in our experiment. Our goal was to see whether pill bugs would continue to choose the

Of concern is the overuse of insecticidal bed bug products, which can pose a threat to humans, especially children. With increased exposure comes, increase risk of toxicity to bed bug insecticides (Doggett, et al., 2012). Professional eradication is preferred, however, bed bugs are becoming resistant to pesticides and the eradication can be unaffordable to some households, especially when multiple treatments are needed. As a result people are increasingly using homemade recipes found on the Internet and unregulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which have unknown toxicity risk and adverse reactions (Doggett, et al., 2012). The University of Texas A &M acknowledges that professional and consumer products such as aerosol “bug bombs” and “fumigators” are only moderately effective and that there are effective do-it-yourself bed bug control measures that need to be used in conjunction with hiring a professional (Doggett, et al.,

Carson clarifies that “the sprays, dust, and aerosols are now applied almost universally to farms, gardens, forests, and homes-nonselective chemicals that have the power to kill every insect, the “good” and the “bad”.” In contemporary world today many people use these mankind chemicals without understanding the effects of nature. For example, the reproduction of bees are dropping traumatically because of the pesticides effects on the insects. According to CNN “How Pesticides are killing the bees “Recent data published in science, Nature and other un journals show that bees are dying from some pesticides that are found in our food supply.” The damaged the chemicals are doing to the bees have worries many scientists. The New York Times wrote, pesticide linked to honeybee deaths, “a group of pesticide believed to contribute to mass deaths of honeybees.” Another example of the harmful chemicals affecting the good insects are by destroying favorable insects such as lady bugs and butterflies, which are another great alternative way to pollinate flower. These beneficial insects are very important for human wellbeing; therefore, we should minimize the use of

Mosquitoes are the host to many diseases the pose a threat to humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Endemic birds are the most affected by the transmission of avian diseases through mosquitoes. Controlling the mosquito popular is key in bringing back the native bird population.

This experiment should be repeated on a greater, more precise scale to more accurately identify the effectiveness of different products as the results shown does not comply with hypothesis fully. A follow up experiment should examine the different type of clothing’s effectiveness against UV radiation; develop new photoprotective agents etc. Findings from these

Although there are various pest control products you can use, they are harmful to your health.