Mosquitoes in the larval stage are attractive targets for pesticides because they are confined to water and their habitat is
easily treatable. Eliminating the larval stage is advantageous
because the mosquitoes cannot disperse or acquire human
pathogens (Hardin and Jackson 2009). The use of herbal products as larvicides is a possible alternative to traditional synthetic chemicals. In this study, both C. citratus and
S. aromaticum oils were effective against the immature stages
of Ae. aegypti and An. dirus. The larvicidal properties of both
plants were reported in terms of lethal time for 50 % mortality.
The two mosquito species exhibited varying susceptibility
levels which may be due to differences in physiological characteristics of the two species. In general, Aedes larvae are
more robust and considered less susceptible to insecticides
and botanical extracts than Anopheles larvae. Ae. aegypti is
commonly used to screen larvicides because it is vigorous and
easy to colonize in the laboratory