I’m a scientist – the 5 surprising ways to prevent mozzie bites and 2 things that WON’T work
WE'VE all had a tranquil summer evening ruined by the piercing buzz of a mosquito in our ear - and the constellation of itchy bites that pop mere minutes later.
In desperation, many of us have trawled the internet for ways to deter those pesky mozzies for good.
While you may have had varied success with these hacks and remedies, a scientist has weighed into the discussion to myth bust a few of them and tell you what actually works.
Maisie Vollans, a PhD candidate in mosquito ecology at the university of Oxford detailed five hacks that have been proven to repel mosquitoes - and two common ones that have limited success.
Your (hopefully) bite-free summer awaits.
1. Skip those pints
Writing for, Maisie referred to a that measured how attractive mosquitoes found people before and after they drank either beer or water.
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In results that may elicit dismay in many a Brit, the mozzies were more attracted to volunteers who'd drank beer, while there was no change in how attractive they found the volunteers after drinking water.
"So you might want to cut out the pints this summer – if you think it’s worth the sacrifice," Maisie advised.
2. Be liberal with deodorant
Turns out, it's a good idea to slap on deodorant in the summer - and not just to avert sweat.
According Maisie, studies have showed that a compound in deodorants - isopropyl tetradecanoate - repels mosquitoes pretty effectively.
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in particular found that mosquito landings on a surface dropped by a whopping 56 per cent when that surface was coated in deodorant.
found that the insects are more attracted you when you're sweaty.
So make sure you've got some deodorant handy. Your skin - and friends - will thank you for it.
3. Choose your fruits wisely
You might not think the kind of snack you eat will make your more tasty to mosquitoes.
But Maisie advised swapping out bananas for grapes this summer if you want to avoid getting bitten.
She referred to a US study, which found that, for some people, mosquitoes were more attracted to the scent of their hands after they had eaten a banana.
But this wasn't the case with grapes, as there was no change in mosquito attraction to the volunteers after they had eaten them.
4. Use deet insect repellent
Deet is a chemical found in many insect repellents and can be used on bare skin.
"It doesn’t smell too good (to us and to mosquitoes) and can feel a little oily, but insect repellents containing Deet offer the , compared with other repellents," Maisie wrote.
You can buy Deet in most pharmacies and supermakets and it's pretty cheap too.
5. Treat your clothes with insecticide
If you don't love the feeling of insecticide on your skin, you can alternatively spray it on your clothes - it'll stop mosquitoes biting the skin that's covered by the treated clothing.
And according to Maisie, this is actually a technique used by the military.
"Mosquitoes often bite through untreated clothes, so this is worth doing,"; she wrote, suggesting you opt for something like permethrin - you can find this spray easily on Amazon.
As for hacks that don't work, Maisie said people had had varying success with switching out the soap they used.
found that, for some people, washing with Dove and Simple Truth soaps made them more attractive to mosquitoes, whereas washing with Native soap repelled them.
But for others, none of the soaps affected how attractive mosquitoes found them.
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You might have also heard of eating garlic or taking vitamin D supplements to get mosquitoes to buzz off.
But Maisie said studies had found no evidence that either of these home remedies worked, advising readers not to bother with them.