Effectiveness Of Garlic Extract Aromatherapy Candles As Housefly Repellents In Preventing Disease And Cancer Risk

Abstract

Abstract: Houseflies (Musca domestica) are mechanical vectors that play a role in the transmission of various environment-based diseases, including diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, and typhoid. Until now, fly control has relied heavily on chemical insecticides, which, although effective, have the potential to cause environmental pollution and long-term health effects, such as chronic toxicity and the risk of cancer due to exposure to pesticide residues. As a safer alternative, natural plant-based repellents can be developed to suppress fly populations. Garlic (Allium sativum) is known to contain bioactive compounds such as allicin, flavonoids, alkaloids, and saponins that are toxic to insects but safe for humans and the environment. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of garlic extract aromatherapy candles in repelling houseflies at concentrations of 5%, 10%, and 15% using a Post Test Only Control Group Design with six replications. Data analysis was performed using the Shapiro-Wilk, Levene, One-Way ANOVA, and Tukey HSD tests. The results showed a significant difference between the control and treatment groups (p=0.001). The 15% concentration provided the highest protection rate of 60% compared to the 10% (35.56%) and 5% (20%) concentrations. Thus, garlic extract aromatherapy candles have the potential to be an effective, environmentally friendly natural repellent that supports vector-borne disease prevention efforts while reducing health risks from synthetic chemical insecticides.

Keywords: aromatherapy candles, garlic, chemical pesticides, natural repellents, cancer prevention