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JICETS 2019 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 1529 (2020) 032052 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1529/3/032052

Determining The Effectiveness Of Neem And Papaya Leaves

As Mosquito Repellent Coil

Joehanna K. Ngo1* Leyva, Gillian Norine C1 Mariano, Shenna Pauline P1 Pingol,

Shaira Joy A1 Ramirez, Renz Brainard 1
1
Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Santo
Tomas.

*
corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract. The fatality rate of children from ages one (1) to four (4) years old has increased due
to mosquito-borne diseases, specifically dengue. Mosquitoes may transmit deadly diseases
such as Yellow Fever, Dengue, Malaria, Filarial and Japanese Encephalitis through their bites,
which may affect not only people but also the animals. Due to this, repellents such as mosquito
coils must be used to avoid contact with mosquitoes. However, burning one inorganic coil is
equivalent to smoking up to 137 cigarettes, which shows that the usage of mosquito coils are
bad for the health since it can cause lung cancer, acute chronic health risks and may transmit
infectious pathogens. In order to address the urgency and importance of such health issues, an
experimental study was conducted using Neem and Papaya Leaves as primary components of a
mosquito coil. The researchers aimed to substantiate the effectiveness of a mosquito coil using
different botanical materials. This study is designed to protect and contribute to a healthier
society by way of controlling if not combatting the growing population of mosquitoes, hence,
lower the probability of people, especially children, to get infected with mosquito-borne
diseases. The effectiveness of an organic mosquito coil, together with other factors such as
cost, longevity, flammability, odor, durability, and effectiveness are evaluated in this study.

1. Introduction
Mosquitoes have always been a threat to human health because it is the root cause of numerous deadly
diseases in the world for over decades [1]. Through the bite of a mosquito, vector-borne diseases such
as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, Rift valley fever, Zika virus, and
Chikungunya can be obtained [2].
Incremental human migration and travel, climate change, urbanization and social changes became
factors for the reappearance of dengue cases. Presently , severe cases of dengue in more than 100
countries are endemic wherein the most extremely affected regions are America, Southeast Asia, and
Western Pacific. As presented by state members, beyond 1.2 million in 2008 and over 3.2 million in
2015 are reported cases on the regions mentioned previously. Explosive outbreaks are also happening
aside from the continuous surge in the number of reported cases [3].
Dengue is described as a tropical and subtropical mosquito-borne viral disease [4]. Therefore,
Philippines considered this as a major health concern, in fact an all-year round disease in the country
[4]. It was also reported during the year 2008, that the Philippines was one of the countries among the
Western Pacific Region with the highest number of dengue cases and deaths [4]. Cases of dengue and
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution
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JICETS 2019 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 1529 (2020) 032052 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1529/3/032052

several outbreaks were reported by all regions which occurred mostly in provinces and municipalities
during the year 2010. A total of 135,355 cases were recorded which was 135% greater than that of
2009 with 57,636 cases [5].
A mosquito coil is one of the home insecticides that has a large share of value because it is
affordable and efficient to use. It does the job quickly by burning, and as soon as the smoke emits on
the atmosphere, no mosquito can enter the room [6]
The purpose of a mosquito coil is to create an odor barrier. The odor barrier creates a zone where it
serves as a shield for the host from the insects. This is how the mosquito coil prevents disease
transmission to humans/animals [7].
Mosquito Coils were used by consumers in order to protect themselves from mosquitoes, but the
smoke emitted by this product contributed to the 50% of lung cancer deaths in Taiwan [8]. A study
conducted says that higher frequency of burning mosquito coils increase the risk of lung cancer,
making it harmful for the health of humans [8]. Also, long-term exposure to the smoke emitted by the
mosquito coil can result to asthma and wheeze in young people [9].
An ideal mosquito repellent should protect humans from being bitten by insects in a long duration
without causing health implications or reactions to the user exposed to the material [10]. Inorganic
mosquito coils consist of fine and ultrafine particles, PAHs, VOCs, and aldehydes, with high irritation
or suspected harmful effects [11]. Exposure to these pose both acute and chronic health risks [8-10].
Neem leaves consist of metabolites with strong and dominant effects on insects. Its plant has
been used by some farmers in the ancient times for pest control due to its component called
“azadirachtin” [12]. According to a study conducted on testing the effect of Azadirachta indica
leaves on mosquitoes, after experimentations, it was concluded that the presence of Neem delayed
the molting period of the larvae making it an effective alternative to conventional insecticides.
The study has proven that Neem has biologically active components that show insecticidal
activity, making it applicable as a mosquito controlling agent [13].
According to a study conducted by Malathi & Vasugi [14], papaya leaves are used as a remedy
against various diseases such as asthma. The findings of the investigation have shown that the
leaf, bark, root and seed of the Carica Papaya possess larvicidal and repellent activity against
mosquitoes [14]. In an experiment conducted by Sesanti et.al. [15], bitter substances of alkaloid
carpain extracted from the Papaya leaf is not favored by mosquitoes.
According to a study and experiment conducted on the anti-mosquito activity of Neem and Papaya
leaf extracts, the mixture of Neem and Papaya leaf extracts showed the highest mortality rate than all
the other extracts. Secondary metabolites namely: steroids, tannins, coumarins, proteins, alkaloids, and
amino acids contribute to the larvicidal activity of mosquitoes [16].
Thus in this work, The authors focused on the comparison of two different kinds of mosquito coil,
particularly inorganic coil having DEET as a component and organic coil made from Neem and
Papaya Leaves. Hence, other repellents such as lotion, spray and patch were not part of this study.
Also, the researchers chose Aedes Aegypti as the main subject of the study. Furthermore, the factors
that the researchers included are its effectiveness and health concerns.

2. Methodology

2.1. Research Design

The researchers used a comparative type of design since it attempted to determine the extent of the
relationship between inorganic and organic mosquito coils. This study was defined by the domination
of an independent variable to measure and interpret its influence on a particular dependent variable. In
this study, the dependent variables were the two different coils namely: Organic and Inorganic Coil.

2.2. Subjects and Study Site

The researchers used Aedes Aegypti as the main test subject of this study. This type of mosquito is
common in the Philippines and is a carrier of different mosquito-borne diseases, such as Dengue fever,

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JICETS 2019 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 1529 (2020) 032052 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1529/3/032052

Zika virus, Yellow Fever, and Japanese Encephalitis. However, the researchers obtained the said
mosquitoes as larvae therefore, it is disease-free. The researchers focused the study in determining
which among the two repellents, Organic and Inorganic Mosquito Coil, has the best potential to repel
mosquitoes. The Inorganic Mosquito Coil, which contains DEET, a major ingredient to repel
mosquito, is the cheapest and most commonly used product in the market. This ingredient is capable
of causing irritation on the mosquito’s sensors to avoid smelling their prey. On the other hand, the
Organic Mosquito Coil, composed of Neem and Papaya Leaves, has the same potential as the DEET
since these plants contain metabolites that have a strong effect on insects, in general. For the execution
of the experiment, the researchers used 30 grams of blended neem leaves, 15 grams of blended papaya
leaves, 30 grams of pulverized dried neem leaves, 45 grams of pulverized candle, 45 grams of ethyl
alcohol, and 15 grams of cornstarch.
The researchers decided to execute the experiment in a controlled environment in order to compare
the two types of mosquito repellent coil. This was done to lessen the variables that cannot be
controlled by the researchers during the experiment, thus, allowing both repellents to have even
chances of repelling the mosquitoes during the fifteen (15) trials. The experiment was conducted
inside a carton box with a cylindrical wall inside covered in plastic and topped with a net with the box
having the dimensions of 10in x 10in x 15in. Both of the repellents were placed inside their designated
containers in order to obtain the fastest effect in repelling mosquitoes. Before the release, the
mosquitoes were placed inside one (1) at a time and then the researchers observed if the mosquitoes
would change their location while inside the container provided that both coils were lighted.

2.3. Data Gathering Procedure

The mosquito larvae was purchased from University of the Philippines — Los Baños (UPLB), Aedes
Aegypti, which was the main subject of the study. The authors waited for 3-5 days for the mosquito
larvae to hatch upon receiving it. Next once the mosquito has hatched, the following was done. The
mosquitoes were divided into two groups. The first fifteen (15) mosquitoes were placed inside a cage
together with the organic mosquito coil and the other half with the inorganic mosquito coil. Each
mosquito was exposed to two (2) trials in the experiment. The mosquitoes were tested individually
inside the cage. By doing that, the researchers trapped one mosquito inside a cylindrical container and
transferred it inside the cage with the mosquito coil covered with a net. The researchers observed the
time the mosquito changes its location while it was inside the cage where the inorganic/organic coil
was lit. As soon as the mosquito is transferred inside the cage, the researchers waited for it to stay on
one place before starting the stopwatch. The researchers started the stopwatch when the mosquito left
its location inside the cage. This step is repeated once to suffice the two (2) trials needed to be
undergone by each mosquito. Each mosquito was killed after the researchers have gathered the lapse
time of the two (2) trials. The researchers have conducted a total of thirty (30) trials for the fifteen (15)
mosquitoes in each cage with the inorganic coil and another thirty (30) trials for the last fifteen (15)
mosquitoes in a different cage with the organic coil.
The data were gathered through tallying the number of seconds the mosquitoes leave the perimeter
of the organic and inorganic mosquito coil inside the cage. The unusual activity of the mosquito,
leaving the vicinity of the coil means that the mosquito is affected by it. The experiment and data were
raw and legitimate as they were gathered directly from the effect of the mosquito coil products used on
the test subjects thus, making it genuine and reliable in the comparison of the organic and inorganic
mosquito coil

2.4. Mode of Data analysis

The data acquired from the experiment were compiled and analyzed using different data analyses
available in Microsoft Office - Excel. Assuring that the results placed in the data analysis software are
credible. F-test is used when the sample size is less than 30. It tests if two population variances are
equal or not by comparing the ratio of two variances and identify the type of t-test to use. The
researchers did fifteen (15) trials using two types of mosquito coil repellents to the subject, and

3
JICETS 2019 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 1529 (2020) 032052 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1529/3/032052

acquired significant data, which is the number of seconds the mosquito changes its location due to the
smoke, emitted by the two different coils that made their sensory sensitive and irritated. These fifteen
trials resulted to fifteen different data which were then evaluated and analyzed using the t-test analysis
too.

3. Result and Discussion

The research’s primary objectives were to determine the effectivity of Neem and Papaya leaves to
create an organic mosquito coil and then examine whether it repels more mosquitoes as compared to
the existing inorganic coil. The researchers thought of measuring the number of seconds the
mosquitoes would change its location signifying its reaction when exposed to the coil to further
support the above-mentioned goals. In addition to that, the researchers constructed the hypothesis to be
further discussed below.
The experimental subjects were divided into two groups, one half was examined with the use of the
organic coil while the other half with the inorganic coil. A total of 30 mosquitoes were tested in the
same controlled environment and procedure, except that one was organic and the other was inorganic.
There were two trials per mosquito and the data measurement was based from the number of seconds
the mosquito leaves from its present location using the different coils.
The F-Test and T-Test analysis was the most appropriate statistical tool when it comes to the data
gathered through the above-mentioned experimentation since it involved less than 30 samples exposed
in two different scenarios namely: The Inorganic and Organic Coil. Table 1 shows the F-test result and
Table 2 shows the analysis of the result. An F-test was used in Microsoft Excel to determine if the raw
data gathered has equal or unequal variances in order to know which among the types of t-tests would
be used and proceed with the computations. The summary table above shows that the P-Value
computed was greater than the significance level (α) signifying that the variances are equal. In
addition to that, the F test statistic was less than the critical region therefore, accepting the null
hypothesis that the variances are equal.

Table 1. F-test Two-Sample for Variances

F-Test: Two-Sample for Variances
Variable INORGANIC ORGANIC
Mean 12.50166667 4.223666667
Variance 19.7586881 9.088119524
Observation 15 15
df 14 14
F 2.174122825
P(F ≤ f) one-tail 0.079239068
F Critical one-tail 2.483725411

Table 2. F-test Analysis of the Results

F-Test: Two-Sample for Variances
H0 ∂organic = ∂inorganic the population variance for the organic mosquito coil is
equal to that of the inorganic one
H1 ∂organic ≠ ∂inorganic the population variance for the organic mosquito coil is
not equal to that of the inorganic one
α 0.05
P-value 0.079
Conclusion Accept Ho since p-value > α therefore, the variances are EQUAL

4
JICETS 2019 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 1529 (2020) 032052 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1529/3/032052

After learning that the variances were equal through the F-Test, the T-Test Two-Sample Assuming
Equal Variances was selected in order to determine whether the hypothesis of the researchers were
correct or not. As seen in the summary table 3 and Table 4, the P-value was less than the significance
level (α) thus rejecting the Null Hypothesis (Ho) and accepting the alternative hypothesis stating that
the mean number of seconds the mosquito leaves from its present location using organic coil is less
than that of the inorganic one. The researchers may also conclude that the data was highly credible due
to its low p-value. In addition to that, the test statistic t is greater than the critical region making the
inequality invalid also, rejecting the null hypothesis. With all these being said, the organic coil repels
the mosquito more than the inorganic coil since the mosquitoes change position faster and away from
the coil.
Table 3. T-test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances
T-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances
Variable ORGANIC INORGANIC
Mean 4.223666667 12.50166667
Variance 9.088119524 19.7586881
Observations 15 15
Pooled Variance 14.42340381
Hypothesized Mean 0
Difference
df 28
t Stat -5.969283048
P(T<=t) one-tail 0.0000009939
t Critical one-tail 1.7011309343
P(T<=t) two-tail 0.0000019878
t Critical two-tail 2.048407142

Table 4. T-test: Analysis of Results

T-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances
H0 μorganic ≥ μinorganic The mean number of seconds the mosquito leaves from its
present location using organic coil is greater than or equal than
that of the inorganic one
H1 μorganic < μinorganic The mean number of seconds the mosquito leaves from its
present location using organic coil is less than that of the
inorganic one
α 0.05
C.R. t < -1.7011
Test Stat t -5.9628
P-value 0.0000009939
Conclusion Reject Ho since P-Value < α therefore, the mean number of seconds the mosquitoes
change its designated place with the presence of the organic coil is less than that of
the inorganic one

In addition to that, the researchers’ also considered the cost per box of both organic and inorganic
mosquito coils. Showing in the Table 5 is the average cost of one (1) box containing 10 coils,

Table 5. Cost per Box of Mosquito Coil

Organic Mosquito Coil Inorganic Mosquito C
Php 30 Php P25

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JICETS 2019 IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 1529 (2020) 032052 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1529/3/032052

In order to measure the flammability of the mosquito coils, with the use of a stopwatch, the
researchers recorded the number of seconds it takes the coil to light up. Based on Table 6, it is seen
that the organic mosquito coil takes four (4) to six (6) seconds while the inorganic mosquito coil takes
six (6) to eight (8) seconds. With that being said, the organic mosquito coil lights up faster than that of
the inorganic one.
Table 6. Flammability of Mosquito Coil
Organic Mosquito Coil Inorganic Mosquito C
4-6 seconds 6-8 seconds

4. Conclusion
The authors focused evaluating the performance of two different kinds of mosquito coil, particularly
inorganic coil having DEET as a component and organic coil made from Neem and Papaya Leaves,
which is more eco-friendly and less harmful to human. The researchers first performed the F-test
analysis to identify what type of T-test analysis, assuming equal variances or assuming unequal
variances, was appropriate to use in this experiment. Since, the F-test results showed that the p-value
is 0.079 and the significance level (α) is 0.05, p-value is greater than the significance level (α),
therefore, the researchers concluded that the variances were equal. Hence, assuming equal variances
analysis for T-test tool was the appropriate analysis to use. After performing the T-test analysis with
the use of the data from the experiment conducted, the researchers obtained a p-value of
0.0000009939 and used a significance level (α) of 0.05. Thus, p-value is less than the significance
level (α), therefore, the researchers’ conclude that the organic coil is more effective in repelling
mosquitoes compared to the inorganic coil. With all the positive and credited results obtained from the
experiment, the researchers accomplished all primary objectives stated at the beginning of this study,
which were to determine the effectiveness of Neem & Papaya Leaves as mosquito coil that can drive
or eliminate mosquitoes and/or its larvae and statistically examine and verify which between the
organic and synthetic product repels more mosquitoes.

5. References
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Epidemic W H O and Alert P 2009 Dengue: guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, prevention
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borne zoonotic diseases Lancet 380 1946–55.
[3] Kuo H-J, Lee K and Liu J-W 2017 Analyses of clinical and laboratory characteristics of dengue
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Journal of Physics: Conference Series 1529 (2020) 032052 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1529/3/032052

[9] Stabile L, Fuoco F C and Buonanno G 2012 Characteristics of particles and black carbon
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