4 Mosquito Tricks That Work, and 3 That Can Save You

mosquitoes They are the biggest villains of the summer. First of all, because of the diseases they can transmit in some places, and also because of their simple bites. They don’t have to carry any pathogens to ruin our day. If we have allergies, we can be sent straight to the emergency room, and if not, the itching will probably keep us awake for a couple more nights. For this reason, we like to know mosquito repellents, homemade or commercial.

The problem is that many of the most common They have no evidence of their usefulness, while others, much less well known, can be very effective against these and other insects.

Let’s look at a list of such effective mosquito repellents and, furthermore, which ones you shouldn’t waste your money on. Not because they’re going to hurt you, but because they won’t really do anything about mosquitoes at all.

It is better to reflect than to kill

Mosquitoes don’t bite us out of malice. In fact, they do it for the good of their children. The only thing that stings is women and they do this because blood is an ideal source of protein for egg developmentThe males have enough nectar from flowers.

For this reason, and because they are an integral part of ecosystems, the ideal is to repel them rather than kill them. There are several options for this, but not all are equally useful.

Commercial substances that are good mosquito repellents.

The most effective mosquito repellent is N,N-diethyl metatoluamide, also known as DEET. This substance, like another called IR3535Yes, they are excellent mosquito repellents and, moreover, they are safe for humans in certain doses that should never be exceeded and are therefore carefully monitored by regulatory authorities.

It is not entirely clear how these mosquito repellents work. Generally speaking, it seems that they cloud their senses and cannot find us. Women usually detect blood sources by the carbon dioxide we exhale and the heat our bodies give off. This is detected mainly through their antenna receivers, so it can affect there or directly in nervous system. One thing is clear: they do not harm mosquitoes, as permethrin. This substance is usually applied to clothing, as it is toxic to humans when applied to the skin. This may be an option in areas where there are disease-carrying mosquitoes, but otherwise one of the previous repellents is always a better option.

No bracelets, no tattoos, no citronella candles.

Citronella oil, derived from the plant Cymbopogon Nardus Traditionally, it has been used as a mosquito repellent. It supposedly repels them in a way that is completely safe for humans. For this reason, they are widely used in children’s products, such as bracelets or even sticker tattoos. It is also very common to use candles with citronella, which imparts a scent and repels insects.

However, there is no scientific evidence that they are really effective against mosquitoes. On the other hand, even DEET and IR3535 repel mosquitoes at maximum distance from 4 to 5 centimetersFor this reason, bracelets and tattoos will never be effective with either citronella or the best repellents.

As for the candles, they seem to work, but there is something very important to keep in mind. And as he explained in the statements Scientific American molecular ecologist Dina Fonsecafrom Rutgers University, the smoke repels insects anyway, so it’s impossible to prove it’s because of the citronella.

Smells they don’t like

There are smells that mosquitoes don’t like, and so they can be used to repel them. Last year, a group of scientists from Virginia Tech showed this soap with coconut smell It repels these insects much more strongly than other scents, especially floral ones.

So taking a shower with this soap can always be a good option. Instead, we should be careful with menthol. Indeed, some conformations of the molecule that causes this aroma have been shown to repel mosquitoes, but not all of them. A mosquito repellent that involves applying some has recently gone viral. menthol toothpaste on toilet paper. They say it’s a great repellent. But toothpaste isn’t meant for that. Menthol probably isn’t the kind of product that can repel mosquitoes, so we’ll probably be wasting our time.

Electronic mosquito repellents are not what they seem

Ultrasound-based mosquito repellents are all the rage. However, research over the past 20 years has shown that these insects do not hear ultrasound as we thought, and that if they did, they could adapt to it.

So it’s not worth spending money on one of these cars.

They work with insecticides.

Typical mosquito repellents containing insecticidal tablets or liquids are effective. However, they are not repellents, so if we only want to repel mosquitoes, they will not work.

Better invest in a good mosquito net.

The best mosquito repellents are old-fashioned. Mosquito nets couldn’t be missing from this list, as they remain a cheap, easy-to-use, and effective resource. In tropical regions where there are many endemic mosquito-borne pathogens, they are usually one of the most used resources. This will not be for nothing. Science will obviously give us many new resources, but we should not forget those that have always worked.