Now that we've got these warmer pre-summer days and nights, the mosquitoes are back in force. I like to sit outside on the deck at night for a bit, but I just don't want to get bit!

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According to an article in "Men's Health" magazine:

"Researchers at the University of California, Riverside may be close to finding a repellent that affects the bugs’ sensory systems so much that they’ll actually stay away from your skin.

Mosquitoes pick their victims by sniffing out the carbon dioxide that we exhale through our breath, skin, and sweat. In a new study published in Nature, entomologists identified odor molecules and divided them into three classes based on how they affected the bugs.

The researchers found more than a dozen simple odors that either mimicked carbon dioxide and could be used as decoys for traps; affected the sensors near the mosquitoes’ mouths and distorted what they smelled; or disarmed those receptors for several minutes, according to study author Anandasankar Ray, Ph.D., an assistant professor of entomology at UC Riverside.

The study could lead scientists to develop repellents that are more environmentally friendly, cost-effective and safe for people.

Your best defense against mosquitoes is a good store-bought repellent, just as long as you follow the instructions on the label."

 

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