Study summary
Efficacy of 1% geraniol (Fulltec) as a tick repellent
Khallaayoune K, Biron JM, Chaoui A, Duvallet G
Read the original paper- Study type
- Field Trial
- Year
- 2009
- Species tested
- Hyalomma ticks (cattle, Morocco)
- Published in
- Parasite 16(3):223–226
- Evidence strength
- Limited evidence
How it was tested
A geraniol-sprayed herd was compared with an untreated control herd, with ticks counted per animal at intervals out to three weeks after spraying.
Summary
A field trial testing whether a 1% geraniol spray cuts natural tick infestation on grazing cattle, run on two farms near Rabat, Morocco. It is a livestock study, not a human skin test, but it shows geraniol has real, if fading, tick activity.
Key findings
Geraniol cut ticks per animal by 98.4% at one week, 97.3% at two weeks, and 91.3% at three weeks versus the control, strong early knockdown that slowly waned. It suggests geraniol could be an alternative to chemical acaricides losing ground to resistance, though this is cattle in a field, not protection on human skin.
Limitations
A small two-farm trial reporting herd-level reductions rather than randomized individual measures, followed only to three weeks, and on livestock rather than human skin.