Current Biology.Companies often add catnip to snacks and cat toys because of its euphoric, hallucinogenic effects on cats. However, people have been using catnip for thousands of years to ward off insects as well.
Recent research found that catnip compounds have the same effect on insects as synthetic insect repellants. ADVERTISEMENTResearchers didn’t know what caused insects’ revulsion to catnip, a member of the mint family, until recently.
In this study, the research teams found the mechanism behind mosquitoes’ aversion to the plant. ADVERTISEMENT“Catnip and its active ingredient, Nepetalactone, have been used for millennia to ward off insect pests, at least since the time of Pliny, the Elder,” said Marcus C.
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