Potential of Kaffir Lime (Citrus hystrix) Peel Essential Oil as a Cockroach Repellent

The presence of cockroaches in homes and buildings is common. They are one of the most important agents in transmission of bacteria, yeast, protozoa, and parasite worm species to human life either mechanically or biologically. In this work, the potential of Kaffir lime peel toward cockroaches is reported. The peel of Kaffir lime was extracted by hydrodistillation to obtain its essential oil. The repellency of the essential oil was evaluated at different concentrations (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, v/v). The duration of the observation for 3 and 6 h was conducted to the cockroaches at lab scale. From the result obtained, the essential oil of Kaffir lime peel exhibited complete repellency at concentration of 50% v/v and above. Such results may be considered as novel findings in the course of searching for potent botanical insecticides against the cockroaches. The result of the present study will provide knowledge and information about Kaffir lime peel as an insect repellent.