Lavender, Eucalyptus, and Orange Essential Oils as Repellents against Ixodes ricinus Females

This study evaluated the repellent effect of three essential oils against females of Ixodes ricinus, which is considered to be the main arthropod disease vector in Europe. The essential oils could be regarded as user- and environment-friendly alternatives to synthetic repellents. As a comparison sample, the most widely used synthetic repellent DEET was used. All the tested oils exhibited moderate to high initial repellency of 65–85% 5 min after application. The testing was terminated after 80 min, when lavender and eucalyptus repelled 45% and 15% of ticks, respectively. No effect of orange oil was observed after a 20-min mark. The effect of DEET was found to be high and stable (95–100%) throughout the experiment. This study thus revealed that the investigated oils are not as effective as DEET. On the other hand, especially lavender showed an interesting potential as an alternative repellent for outdoor activities of shorter duration.