Mosquitoes and a tree/plant (una mata) which keeps them off(?)

J D Sauser

Silver
Nov 20, 2004
2,940
390
83
www.hispanosuizainvest.com
I just recently overheard talk about some kind of plant/tree/shrub (mata de...) which supposedly keeps flying insects like mosquitoes off, but couldn't get the name of the particular plant. Somehow however, I got the funny feeling of having read about that somewhere one or two years ago. Was it here? I searched but to no avail.

Anybody knows or remembers?

... J-D.
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
That would be nice, but the ultimate thing is this machine that was posted somewhere here on DR1 that kills mosquitos by the thousands over a half acre and uses no chemicals. That is certainly on my checklist whenever I have enough money.
 
Aug 21, 2007
3,043
1,970
113
I don't know the name of the tree/bush here, but in West Africa where I have property, it is called a nim tree. It is a natural mosquito repellent. The Ghanaians would use the wood from the tree to "brush" their teeth. Others would swallow a leaf. Although it is very bitter, doing so was a natural mosquito repellent and prevented malaria.

I will try to contact some of my friends there who might know the latin derivative of the name. I don't know if that will help with the Spanish name or even the name of the tree here in the DR.

Oh. And just now, my gardener told me that that this tree IS in the DR. He doesn't know the name, but will find out for me and tell me tomorrow, if no one else on dr1 knows it in the meantime.

Lindsey
 
J

John Evans

Guest
a lot of plants work by means of crushing them to release the scent which disguises the smell of humans- /pelegonium/lemonbalm/lemongrass/marigolds/lavender/cederwood and a lot of herbs but only effective when crushed...
 
Aug 21, 2007
3,043
1,970
113
Natural Insecticide (long)

I reviewed several articles about the nim tree. No, it does not repel insects. Instead, it acts as a natural insecticide.

This is the information derived from this link

Revista Env?o - "NIM": Nature's Own Insecticide

A Three Pronged Attack
The nim is a complete insecticide. The active substance is present in the whole tree, but is concentrated in the seeds. The nim's insecticide is very complex and acts simultaneously in three directions against damaging crop eating insects.

As a repellent, the nim serves to drive away certain insects. But this is not its most important function.

The nim is also a phagodeterrent: it arrests the growth of damaging insects. Insects eat plants treated by the nim insecticide, and even appear to find them more appetizing. But at a certain point in their digestive process, the insects, still at the voracious larva stage, begin to eat less and less, until they stop eating and die, before reaching sexual maturity. The damage caused to the crops by what the insects did eat can be viewed as an investment to reduce the pest population in future generations.

The third and most interesting form of the insecticide's actions is its attack on the damaging insect's hormonal system. The insect develops perfectly throughout all of its stages, apparently unaffected. The problems begin with breeding. It simply cannot. Small physical malformations prevent it; a wing that did not grow correctly, a longer or shorter leg, lack of sexual appetite, sterility. With no breeding, there are no baby insects, and the damaging insect population is reduced from generation to generation.

The nim's active ingredient is azadirachtina, whose chemical composition is so complex that the most sophisticated chemical laboratories have not been able to synthetically produce it, although research has been going on for a number of years.

Hope this clears things up without getting too complicated.

Lindsey
 

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
18,948
514
113
THERE IS ONE IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE. I have several at the beach, too. I have heard nothing but good about this tree.

HB
 

Ringo

On Vacation!
Mar 6, 2003
2,823
41
0
HB.

Do you KNOW that it repels mosquitoes? Can you post a photo? Do you know how to propagate; seed or cuttings from stem or root?

You could be the next millionaire in the Dominican Republic....

Where exactly do you live?

Regards, Ringo
 

Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
17,850
982
113
What is it know as in the Dominican Republic?
Nim - there was a large-scale programme to promote it here some years ago, and it was planted all over the place. Fundaci?n Agricultura y Medio Ambiente (FAMA) - the folks at the Mercado Ecol?gico in Mirador Sur - are heavily involved in this.

neem_tree.jpg

 

GringoCArlos

Retired Ussername
Jan 9, 2002
1,416
40
0
It's known as "neem" in English, and "nim" in Spanish. It originated in India, where it is known as the "pharmacy tree", was planted by the thousands here in the DR, but either was underpromoted for its uses, or the dominicanos didn't listen to the explanations, hehehe.

Indians have used this tree for 5,000 years, but no one here in the DR seems to want to know anything about it, they just know that it heaves sidewalks, and that nothing will grow in its deep shade. In other countries, farmers use it for the shade for their cattle, which can also rest unmolested by insects under its branches.

The tree and its qualities do not immediately kill insects, but rather interrupt insects reproduction, and in time, eliminate most of them in the area.

Its leaves and twigs will help eliminate most oral/dental problems as an antiseptic agent in the mouth. One can either use a twig as a toothbrush/flossing tool, or one can chew (but not swallow) a few leaves every morning, spitting out the residue after a few minutes of chewing, and then not rinsing your mouth until at least 15 or 20 minutes later.

The drawback is that it tastes very bitter, and a bit garlicy, but the good outweighs the bad for me.

The seeds must be planted relatively soon after falling from the tree, as they are only viable for about 15 or 20 days. They sprout easily, and grow quickly. Neem will take anything, bad soil, dry soil, wet soil, but they do not tolerate salty conditions very well, so you can't do well with neem near the ocean. If you give a young tree a bucket of water once or twice a week, it will grow to 20' in the first year. You can top the trees, and use the branches for fenceposts, which also resist rot better than most wood.
 

J D Sauser

Silver
Nov 20, 2004
2,940
390
83
www.hispanosuizainvest.com
...
The third and most interesting form of the insecticide's actions is its attack on the damaging insect's hormonal system. The insect develops perfectly throughout all of its stages, apparently unaffected. The problems begin with breeding. It simply cannot. Small physical malformations prevent it; a wing that did not grow correctly, a longer or shorter leg, lack of sexual appetite, sterility. With no breeding, there are no baby insects, and the damaging insect population is reduced from generation to generation.
...

I hope there is no evidence to suggest that it could have similar effects on the owner of this interesting plant(?)!

Anyway, I wanted to thank all the contributors to this thread. Some very interesting reading material and links have been posted!
Thanks! ... J-D.
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
I guess as good as this tree is it might not be a good idea to plant in one's yard, given that it's roots could spread rapidly. Does anybody know if it can thrive in a big pot?
 

J D Sauser

Silver
Nov 20, 2004
2,940
390
83
www.hispanosuizainvest.com
Well, I would venture to reckon that just like about any plant, these will start off as little plants too. The question is, how fast it does grow.
The underlining thought behind my question was also toying with the idea of having such a plant maybe even in my bedroom or on the balcony in front of my bedroom window... One would obviously not want a full size three inside the bedroom...

Right now, I am however a little concerned about the question of that tree posing a potential health risk to humans when kept indoors (?).

... J-D.
 

GringoCArlos

Retired Ussername
Jan 9, 2002
1,416
40
0
If a neem is in full sunshine, and you give it a bucket or two of water each week, it will grow to 20' in a year. They like full sunshine, and don't do as well in partial shade. (as long as they get 6 hours a day of sun they seem to remain happy).

In time, as the canopy spreads out, not much will grow below it due to the deep shade. A 50 year old neem, in open space with full sunshine, may be 60' tall, and 100' wide without pruning. the roots are at, or just below the surface of the soil at this stage.

I would not worry about a tree indoors - if you want a pot in front of a window that receives a lot of sunshine. There is nothing strong enough in the tree to cause any damage to humans (it has 4 naturally occurring anti-insect compounds in the plant). You could grow it in a pot to 6' or 8'. and just keep topping it off to maintain the size indoors.

And, for another question about fertility, in India they have tested products using neem as an anti-fertility treatment in women, as a suppository of sorts, but it was not reliable enough for use as pregnancy prevention.