Shoo Mosquito, You Can’t Bother Me

The newest scientific breakthrough: invisibility…well, invisibility to mosquitos at least. This new discovery in the chemistry sphere could eliminate a problem that has been, pardon the pun, bugging innocent kumbaya-singers and twilight pontoon cruisers around the globe for ages. We’ve all been there: sitting around the campfire at a summer powwow, enjoying a friendly conversation, when you are interrupted by a tingling…no…gradual itching sensation on your ankle. The worst part is that as much as you try to swat that little blood-sucker away, it always manages to find its way back. Talk about persistence.

Making humans invisible to mosquitos may seem like a daunting idea. To understand it better, it helps to be familiar with how the critters find their way to our elbows and ankles in the first place. Mosquitos follow carbon dioxide trails that waft away from all living organisms and can use these gaseous paths to sense a host up to 100 feet away. At a closer range, mosquitos use body heat to find and latch onto humans. This description might have you thinking that all they want is a warm hug, but don’t be fooled. Researchers have determined that hungry mosquitos use cpA neurons, olfactory cells located near their antennae, to track down hosts from distances exponentially larger than the little buggers themselves. Aside from the mosquito’s biology, secretion from your skin also helps the blood-feeders find their next meal. To determine which secreted chemicals mosquitos use to pinpoint hosts, scientists conducted an experiment where they sprayed different bodily substances in a cage chock full of the insects and inserted their own hands as bug bait. However unpleasant the process sounds, the results were worthwhile. In addition to other enticing chemicals, experts found that human sweat, mainly comprised of lactic acid, attracted almost 90% of the mosquitos. Sounds appetizing, right?

But, in all seriousness, the question still remains: how does one go about making themselves invisible to this seemingly inescapable summer pest? Dr. Ulrich Bernier, a chemist in the Mosquito and Fly Research Unit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is close to an answer. He has identified over 200 naturally occurring chemicals called attraction inhibitors on human skin that actually, if in a large enough concentration, prevent mosquitos from successfully locating a host. If they could be harnessed in substantial amounts, Dr. Bernier would have an amazingly effective bug spray on his hands, giving OFF!® a run for their money.

As close as research appears to improving the lives of campers, boaters and outdoorspeople everywhere, as of now solutions are still in the laboratory experimentation phase. With any luck, we can expect to be superheroes, invisible to those irksome mosquitos, in the near future. Until then, we’ll be itching with anticipation.

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My name is Leanna. I’m a horse rider, volleyball player and chemistry student!