Chemical Profiling, Sensory Qualities, and Bioactivities of Essential Oils Obtained from Aloysia citrodora and Bursera graveolens Ecuadorian Plants Against the Mosquito Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae)

The mosquito Aedes albopictus is a vector of several harmful viruses, necessitating the development of safer and more sustainable repellents than DEET. This study evaluated the potential of plant-based EOs extracted via steam distillation from Aloysia citrodora and Bursera graveolens plants harvested in Ecuador. A. citrodora EO exhibited a high sensory pleasantness with a citral-like aroma, while B. graveolens EO had lower sensory appeal due to off-flavors. At 200 µL L-1, B. graveolens EO demonstrated strong ovideterrent activity, reducing egg laying by 64%, whereas A. citrodora EO displayed the highest larvicidal activity with an LC50 value of 88.54 µL L-1. Both EOs, applied at 0.20 µL cm-2 on human skin, provided comparable repellency for over 45 min. The RD50 values were 0.104 µL cm-2 for A. citrodora EO and 0.136 µL cm-2 for B. graveolens EO. When compared to DEET at 0.04 µL cm-2, no significant differences in repellency were observed within the first 15 min post-application. These findings suggest that both EOs are effective alternatives to synthetic repellents, and A. citrodora EO emerges as a promising candidate due to its superior sensory attributes and larvicidal activity.