![]() ![]() Emily Mader, who works in Cornell University’s Department of Entomology as an extension associate, uses 25 percent DEET products when she is going on a long hike in the deep woods and says that one application would keep her protected for up to six hours. That’s because, says Brown, “The higher the concentration of a product does not necessarily provide stronger protection it just provides longer protection” - but a higher concentration can be convenient if you don’t want to keep reapplying throughout the day. ![]() Cope recommends looking at the percentage of DEET found in a formulation, and doesn’t recommend using anything more than 30 percent for the average person, with 5 to 10 percent being enough for one-to-two hours of exposure at a time. There are other theories that say that mosquitoes may not like the way DEET feels on their feet, keeping them from landing on your skin. “The gold standard for years and years is DEET, and many of the products that are out there are DEET-based.” While Cope, Brown, and Debboun say that the way DEET works is still being studied, it’s generally thought to block particular receptors on mosquitoes that prevent them from identifying a potential host for a meal. Brown is a fan of the EPA’s search tool that “helps identify the best repellent for the situation I will be in, which I know have been tested for both safe use and repellency.”īut “not all repellents are the same,” says Cope. Mustapha Debboun, a retired medical and veterinary entomologist in the United States Army, co-editor of three books on insect repellents, and general manager Delta Vector Control District in Visalia, California, all recommend looking for repellents that have ingredients that are registered with the EPA and endorsed by the CDC, which include DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, IR 3535, para-menthane-diol (or PMD, which is plant-based), and 2-undecanone. When choosing a repellent, Bentley David Brown, technical adviser at the American Mosquito Control Association and Dr. Below, expert advice on the most effective treatments and personal repellents for keeping mosquitoes from nipping at you this summer. “Scientists are still working out the specifics,” he says, “for what combination of the over 200 different chemicals and compounds produced through human skin that make some people more appealing to mosquitoes than others.”Īnd since you can’t change your genetic makeup, some of us will always need repellent. Michael Bentley, entomologist for the National Pest Management Association, why a female mosquito, which has very sophisticated senses, might be attracted to one person over another, is really a mystery. (And contrary to what you might have heard, diet has nothing to do with it.) But according to Dr. While carbon dioxide is the number-one thing that mosquitoes are attracted to, your “own unique chemical signature,” as Cope calls it, might also contribute to your appeal. But there are some folks, standing water or not, who are just more susceptible to bites than others. Captain Stan the Mosquito Man, a retired medical entomologist in the United States Navy and currently the vice president of technical services at pest management company Catchmaster. “I’m talking about clogged gutters, tree holes, kids’ toys, tires, bird baths, drip saucers that are under plants, even a pile of leaves,” says Dr. The easiest way to avoid mosquitoes (and in particular the female ones, who are the biters) is to make sure there is no standing water anywhere near you. ![]()
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