Mosquito Missile-toe: Can mistletoe berry extract be used as an effective pesticide that
works as well as or better than a conventional pesticide?
Name
February 19, 2008
MOSQUITO MISSILE-TOE : CAN MISTLETOE BERRY EXTRACT BE USED AS
AN EFFECTIVE PESTICIDE THAT WORKS AS WELL AS OR BETTER THAN A
CONVENTIONAL PESTICIDE?
Name
Address
This experiment was conducted to see if mistletoe berry extract can be used as an
effective mosquito pesticide that works as well as or better than a conventional pesticide
called Agnique MMF. Forty mosquito larvae were divided into two equal groups in 200
milliliters of water. Each group was treated with one of the two pesticides with an amount
that was 3 % of the water’s volume. After the pesticide remained in the water for 24
hours with the mosquito larvae, the number of live larvae was counted.
The results were that Agnique MMF killed 85%, or 17 out of 20 larvae, and the
mistletoe berry extract killed 100%, or 20 out of 20 larvae. These results show mistletoe
berry extract can be used as an effective mosquito pesticide that would be a safer, natural
alternative to conventional pesticides.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
INTRODUCTION…………………………..1
EXPERIMENT……………………………...4
DISCUSSION ………………………………5
CONCLUSION……………………………..8
WORKS CITED
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this experiment is to see if mistletoe berry extract can be used as
an effective pesticide against mosquitoes that works as well as or better than a
conventional pesticide. In past research the possibility of mistletoe berry extract being
used as a pesticide has been shown. To test this, different mosquito larvae were treated
with a conventional pesticide and with mistletoe berry extract to see which one kills the
most mosquitoes. The hypothesis is that mistletoe berry extract will kill more mosquito
larvae than the conventional pesticide. Mistletoe berry extract would be a natural
alternative to commercial pesticides that pollute the environment and have been shown to
have adverse effects on humans’ health.
Mosquitoes go through four different stages to become adults: egg, larva, pupa,
adult. Larvae have soft bodies and a hard head with a breathing tube at the tip of their
abdomens. The pupae have a comma shape. Both mosquito larvae and pupae live in
water, usually still water (Mosquito Information, 1). Mosquitoes are known for
transmitting many diseases including malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, and
encephalitis. Mosquitoes only transmit the pathogens of these diseases that they have
acquired from feeding on other animals or humans (Mosquito Information, 2). Female
mosquitoes require a meal of blood before laying eggs, so only the female mosquitoes
bite. When a mosquito pierces the skin, she injects a small amount of saliva before
drawing blood. The welt that appears after a mosquito bite is an allergic reaction to the
mosquito saliva that is injected to prevent the blood from clotting (Why do mosquitoes
bite?, 1). All insects that feed on blood can potentially transmit disease pathogens from
host to host. Mosquito-borne diseases are caused by human parasites that are in the blood
stream. A female mosquito picks up the parasite when she bites a host. Once inside the
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mosquito, the parasites grow and multiply. After the mosquito lays her eggs, she goes
searching for another blood meal and transmits the fully grown parasites to the next host.
These diseases transmitted can be fatal (Why do mosquitoes bite?, 3).
Mistletoe in past experiments has been shown to be effective in killing
mosquitoes (Science News for Kids: Science Fair Zone, 1). Mistletoe is a parasitic
evergreen plant that lives on trees. It has yellow colored flowers, small yellow-green
leaves, and waxy white berries. These berries are poisonous to cats and other small
animals, but there is debate over how toxic they are to humans and if it is safe to use
mistletoe as a remedy. Mistletoe has been used as a digestive aid, heart tonic, and
sedative. It has also been used to treat arthritis, mental disturbances, asthma, infection,
and even cancer (Swain, Liz and Frey, Rebecca J., 1). Mistletoe has not been tested by
the FDA so many experts insist using caution until more research is done (Swain, Liz and
Frey, Rebecca J., 2). There is controversy over which parts of the plant are poisonous, but
the berries are classified as poisonous in the United States. Some sources say that eating
berries is only dangerous in large amounts to babies, but it has shown to be potentially
toxic to the liver and cause chills, fever, headache, and circulatory disorders (Swain, Liz
and Frey, Rebecca J., 3). Both European and American mistletoe contain toxic proteins,
which are similar in chemical makeup and cause similar effects on the body including
hypotension, bradycardia, and vasoconstriction in tested animals (Loeper, Margaret, 1).
Ingesting concentrated amounts of mistletoe extract can cause serious poisonings. In 300
cases of ingestion of mistletoe leaves or berries, most patients had no symptoms and no
deaths occurred, so ingesting up to three berries or two leaves is unlikely to cause serious
poisoning. Of the 1754 exposures to a certain type of mistletoe, Phoradendron
leucarpum, between 1955-1992 there were no deaths, and 90.3% of those exposed had
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no symptoms (Loeper, Margaret, 2).
The commercial pesticide used for this experiment is called Agnique MMF. It is a
monomolecular film that is an alcohol ethoxylated surfactant. The film is sprayed over
still water and interrupts the air supply for the larvae and pupae causing them to drown
(Agnique MMF,1) .
Using commercial pesticides has shown to be harmful and these pesticides have
been linked to health problems. They also pollute the environment including our food
sources and water. The University of North Carolina conducted a study to evaluate the
effects on the immune system of residents living near a pesticide dumpsite in Aberdeen,
North Carolina. In 1990, the FDA said that the soil and groundwater at the site had been
contaminated with a variety of organochlorine pesticides, other harmful organic
compounds, and metals. As part of the study the 302 residents of the community gave a
blood specimen, had a skin test, and answered a questionnaire. Blood samples were
analyzed for organochlorine pesticides, immune markers, and micronuclei. A product of
DDT called DDE was found in the blood in a significant number of residents. The
residents who lived within a mile of the dumpsite had even greater levels than those who
lived far away. As a whole, the people who lived closer to the dumpsite also had harmful
effects on the immune system including decreased mitogen-induced lymphoproliferative
activity (Kepner, John, 1).
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EXPERIMENT
For this experiment, mistletoe berry extract was tested to see if it can be used as
an effective pesticide against mosquitoes and to see if it works as well as a conventional
pesticide. To conduct the experiment 40 mosquito larvae were separated into two groups
with an equal number of mosquito larvae in each group. Each test subject group was
placed in 200 milliliters of water with the 20 mosquito larvae in the group. One group
was treated with 6 milliliters of mistletoe berry extract. The other group was treated with
6 milliliters of a conventional pesticide called Agnique MMF, which is a monomolecular
surface film that works in such a way as to kill the mosquitoes by smothering them with
the film on the surface of the water. In each test subject group 3% of the water’s volume
consisted of one of the two pesticides. After the pesticide had remained in the water for
24 hours the number of dead mosquito larvae was counted to compare efficiency of each
pesticide. Materials needed include mosquito larvae, mistletoe berry extract, a
conventional pesticide, containers in which to place the mosquito larvae, latex gloves,
and a facemask. Safety precautions taken include wearing gloves to protect against the
potentially harmful pesticides and wearing a facemask to prevent from breathing the
fumes the pesticides could possibly create (Science News for Kids: Science Fair Zone, 1).
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DISCUSSION
For this experiment, mistletoe berry was tested to see if it could be used as an
effective mosquito pesticide that works as well as or better than a conventional pesticide
called Agnique MMF. During the experiment 40 mosquito larvae were separated into two
equal groups in 200 milliliters of water. Each group was treated with 3 % , or 6
milliliters, of a different pesticide. The pesticide then remained in the water for 24 hours,
and after 24 hours the results were taken.
Group 1 was treated with Agnique MMF, and after the 24 hour period 3 out of the
20 mosquito larvae were still alive. The conventional pesticide killed 85 % of the
mosquito larvae when exposed to a concentration of 3 % of the water’s volume. Group 2
was treated with the mistletoe berry extract, and after the 24 hour period none of the
mosquito larvae were still alive. The mistletoe berry extract killed 100 % of the mosquito
larvae when exposed to a concentration of 3 % of the water’s volume.
Suggestions for further research would be to use a much larger sample size and
test more pesticides. Using 40 mosquito larvae was sufficient for this project, but to get
more accurate results more mosquito larvae should be used. Also, the mistletoe berry
extract should be tested against many more different kinds of pesticides to see how it
compares to other, more potent pesticides. Future investigation into the possibility of
mistletoe berry extract being used as a pesticide could include testing the amount of time
it takes to kill a certain amount of mosquitoes compared to other pesticides.
The mistletoe berry extract obviously proved to be the most effective pesticide out
of the two tested. This compares to past experiments done with mistletoe berry extract
used as a pesticide. These results are very significant because mistletoe berry extract
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would be a much safer alternative to conventional chemical pesticides. Since mistletoe is
used as an herbal remedy it would be safe to use in the environment without the possibly
harmful effects of conventional pesticides, but it would also be potent enough to be
effective in killing mosquitoes.
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7
0%
%
25%
50
75%
100%
Agnique MMF
85 %
Mistletoe Berry
Extract
ctct
100 %
Percentage of Mosquitoes
Killed in Experiment by Each
Pesticide in 24 hours
CONCLUSION
This experiment tested the effectiveness in using mistletoe berry extract as a
mosquito pesticide. Mosquitoes were divided into equal groups with an equal amount of
water. The groups were each treated with Agnique MMF, a conventional pesticide, or
mistletoe berry extract. Each group was treated with 3 % of the water’s volume
consisting of one of the two pesticides. After the pesticide remained in the water for 24
hours the number of mosquitoes that were still alive was counted. The group treated with
Agnique MMF still had 3 larvae that were alive after 24 hours, so the conventional
pesticide killed 85 % of the larvae. The group treated with mistletoe berry extract had no
mosquitoes alive after 24 hours. The mistletoe killed 100 % of the mosquito larvae and
proved to be more effective than the conventional pesticide.
Before the experiment began, the hypothesis formed was, “Mistletoe berry extract
used as mosquito pesticide will kill more mosquito larvae than a conventional pesticide.”
The hypothesis was correct for this project. It was formed based on past experiments that
showed mistletoe berry extract was very effective in killing mosquito larvae. This project
has many applications. Since mistletoe berry extract is a plant, using it as a pesticide
would be a safer, natural alternative to the conventional chemical pesticides. It would not
be as harmful to the environment or to humans. Also, using mistletoe berry extract would
be a much more inexpensive alternative because it could be grown and harvested
specifically for the purpose of using it as a pesticide and would not take as much money
to make certain chemical pesticides. In the future, mistletoe berry extract would be a
great alternative that would protect our environment and be helpful in preventing
mosquitoes and the problems they cause.
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WORKS CITED
1. “Agnique MMF”. http://www.mosquitommf.com/. (January 30, 2008)
2. Kepner, John.“Pesticides and You”. Spring 2001.
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/infoservices/pesticidesandyou/Spring%2001%2
0vol.%2021%20no.%201.pdf. (January 13, 2008)
3. Loeper, Margaret E. “Mistletoe(Viscum album L.)”.
http://www.longwoodherbal.org/mistletoe/mistletoe.pdf. (January 13, 2008).
4. “Mosquito Information”. http://insected.arizona.edu/lessons.htm. (January 19,2008)
5. “Science News for Kids: Science Fair Zone”. February 23, 2005.
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20050223/ScienceFairZone.asp.
(January 10, 2008)
6. Swain, Liz, and Frey, Rebecca J. “mistletoe:Definition and Much More from
Answers.com”.http://www.answers.com/topic/mistletoe?cat=health. (January
13,2008)
7. “Why do mosquitoes bite?”. http://www.mosquitocontroltrap.com/mosquito_faq.
(January 17, 2008)