Found this great article on mosquitoes in the Arizona Republic it has some extremley useful info and tips to help you manage mosquitoes, enjoy!
Take up arms against mosquito
The Arizona Republic
by Connie Midey
That persistent buzz you’re hearing is a reminder that mosquito season has arrived, and with it the question of how best to wage your version of the federal government’s Fight the Bite! campaign.
The answer is important – whether you’re staying home this summer, camping in your favorite natural paradise or exploring an exotic locale – because mosquitoes are more than merely pesky. They can transmit diseases, including malaria, dengue fever and encephalitis.
Already this season, mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus, a form of encephalitis, have been found in Maricopa and Yuma counties, said Craig Levy, manager of the Arizona Department of Health Services’ vector-borne disease program. No human cases have been reported this year.
The virus causes no symptoms in most people but can be life-threatening, and the best way to avoid it is to use a repellent that contains any of the four anti-mosquito ingredients registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Levy said.
Ingredients that the EPA says are effective and safe if used as instructed are the longtime standby DEET and the newer picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus (or PMD, its synthesized version) and IR3535, the latter two derived from natural materials. The four ingredients don’t kill the pests; they just make you unattractive to them.
In addition, certain products containing the repellent and insecticide permethrin are EPA-registered for use on clothing, shoes, bed nets and camping gear.
“DEET is generally the ingredient all other products are compared to,” Levy said. “It has a long and safe track record, and you don’t need to use it in high concentrations to get the needed effect.”
There are alternatives for people worried about spraying chemical repellents on their skin or put off by the scent or greasy feel, but he doesn’t recommend them for stand-alone protection, especially in risky environments.
Jeff Merten, an employee at outdoor-recreation store REI in Tempe, camps, hikes or kayaks at least once a week. He typically relies on an oil of lemon eucalyptus product with no DEET.
“The ingredients in it are fairly natural, and it’s a little safer,” he said. “But if I were going to a malaria-plagued area, I’d slap on the DEET with no issues.”
His store carries about 20 kinds of insect repellents, in sprays, deodorant-style sticks, lotions and wet wipes. Merten prefers the lotions, because they tend to make users take time to apply them properly. In one DEET product, he said, the lotion is purple until thoroughly rubbed into the skin.
Here are other products and strategies used – with varying degrees of success – to keep mosquitoes away.
Products
Citronella: Citronella candles, made with lemongrass-derived oil, can help if you’re seated near them. For added protection, people who don’t mind the scent and whose skin is not sensitive can find citronella oil in lotions, sprays and towelettes, perhaps supplementing it with an EPA-registered repellent.
Avon Skin-So-Soft: Avon didn’t advertise the original as an insect repellent, but users have sworn by the lotion’s effectiveness for years, perhaps because its scent scared mosquitoes away. Now the company has added EPA-registered repellents IR3535 and picaridin to a line of products it calls Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard.
Bite Blocker: In a 2004 study, researcher Donald Barnard of the U.S. Department of Agriculture rated this product – which contains oils of geranium, soybean and coconut – about as highly as Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Repellent for protection time and for effectiveness compared to DEET. (Lemon eucalyptus oil products should not be used on kids younger than 3, the EPA says.)
Brittanie’s Thyme Organic Insect Repellent: Its ingredients include essential oils of clove, eucalyptus, rose, geranium, peppermint and tea tree (but apparently no thyme, although a study in the Journal of the American Mosquito Control said compounds from thyme oil showed promise). And if Brittanie’s repellent fails to do the job, there’s Brittanie’s Thyme Organic Bug Bite Relief, a blend of lavender and tea tree for pain and itchiness.
Other repellents on the market or being tested are based on natural ingredients such as the oils of neem, fennel, cinnamon and rosemary. But keep in mind that some people are sensitive to plant oils and that natural repellents can be toxic in certain situations or require more-frequent application.
Off! Clip-On Mosquito Repellent: This portable device eliminates the need to get your skin sticky. Insert the cartridge, which contains metofluthrin, slide the switch to “on,” and a battery-operated fan will circulate the odorless repellent around you. The makers say each refill cartridge protects for up to 12 hours of use (or up to two weeks from first use), and they caution that the repellent can be harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
Strategies
Eat garlic or bananas: Garlic-eaters make big claims for the herb’s mosquito-fighting powers, but you might need to eat so much that it drives away your camping buddies first, REI’s Merten said. There’s little evidence that eating bananas makes a significant difference, either. Perceived benefits more likely are coincidental, but eating healthy foods can’t hurt.
Take vitamin B1 (thiamin) supplements: The vitamin as a mosquito repellent has fans among outdoors enthusiasts but no scientific support from University of Wisconsin researchers, whose 2005 study in the “Journal of the American Mosquito Control” said the vitamin was ineffective.
Stay indoors at night: Culex mosquitoes, the primary carriers of West Nile virus, are night feeders, said Levy, of the state health department.
Close windows and doors: For the same reason, the hours from dusk to dawn are the critical ones.
Cover up: Wear lightweight, light-colored and loose-fitting pants and long-sleeve shirts, and apply insect repellent to exposed skin only.
Get rid of standing water: Police your own backyard, Levy suggests. Mosquitoes are drawn to and lay their eggs in water in ice chests, wheelbarrows, unmaintained swimming pools, fountains and discarded tires.
Avoid certain fragrances: If you don’t want to become a mosquito magnet, give up floral- or fruit-scented perfumes, fabric softeners, lotions and hair products.
Cool down before going out: Mosquitoes track you by your trail of carbon dioxide, Levy said, and you release more of it when you’re hot.
Reach the reporter at
connie.midey@arizonarepublic.com
or 602-444-8120.
