Garlic compound kills mosquitoes by halting mating and blocking egg-laying

Good news! I love garlic! Scientists were looking for an aphrodisiac and found the anaphrodisiac!

"... In fact, a new Yale study finds that garlic also functions as a de facto birth control for mosquitoes and other winged insects, an insight that could lead to eco-friendly pest control strategies. ...

the presence of garlic blocks mating in mosquitoes and a variety of fly species. ...

the idea that since fruit flies normally mate on fruits, maybe there’s something in fruits or vegetables that acts as an aphrodisiac and stimulates their mating. So, she went to the supermarket and bought 43 different fruits and vegetables. She made purées from each and put them in Petri dishes for the flies to sample. ...

The startling result was that garlic abolished mating completely. It blocked egg-laying, too. ..."

From the highlights and abstract:

"Highlights

• A “phytoscreen” identifies garlic as a potent deterrent of fly and mosquito behaviors

• Diallyl disulfide, a garlic compound, inhibits mating and egg laying

• Mating and egg-laying effects depend on taste and the TrpA1 channel

• Garlic exposure increases expression of a gene that encodes a satiety hormone

Summary

One means of controlling insect disease vectors and pests is with compounds that manipulate their behavior. An extraordinary variety of phytochemicals, i.e., compounds produced by plants, activate insect chemosensory systems. Fruits and vegetables present a source of compounds that are inexpensive and safe.

A “phytoscreen” of 43 fruits and vegetables identified garlic as a potent deterrent of mating and egg laying in Drosophila. 

Diallyl disulfide, a garlic compound, deters both behaviors. Mating and egg-laying effects depend on taste and the TrpA1 channel. 

Garlic inhibits mating and egg laying in Aedes vector mosquitoes and mating of the tsetse fly Glossina morsitans.

Garlic exposure increases expression of Drosophila head genes, including female-specific independent of transformer (fit), which encodes a satiety hormone that is essential for the effect of garlic on egg-laying preference."

From pantry to pest control: Garlic kills the mood — for mosquitoes, too | Yale News "Yale researchers discovered a naturally occurring compound in garlic that halts mating and egg-laying in insects."

A phytoscreen identifies a garlic compound as a deterrent of mating and egg laying in Drosophila and mosquitoes (no public access)

Graphical abstract