Nootkatone is a repellent for Formosan subterranean termite (Coptotermes formosanus)
Abstract
We examined the behavior of Formosan subterranean termites toward one of the components of vetiver grass oil, the roots of which manufacture insect repellents. We found nootkatone, a sesquiterpene ketone, isolated from vetiver oil is a strong repellent and toxicant to Formosan subterranean termites. The lowest effective concentration tested was 10 3μg/g substrate. This is the first report of nootkatone being a repellent to insects.
This paper has been withdrawn.