6 grandma’s tricks that don’t work (at all) against mosquitoes
The beautiful days are coming back and with them, our worst enemies: mosquitoes. If you want to protect yourself effectively, here are the 6 “grandmother’s tricks” that you must avoid, because they are ineffective.
Vectors of many diseases (malaria, dengue fever, zika, etc.), mosquitoes are attracted by the carbon dioxide (CO2) that is emitted through the mouth and nose when breathing, but also by heat emitted by the body (they perceive infrared) and by certain molecules present on the skin – lactic acid and ammonia, for example. Only female mosquitoes bite, since they need blood to reproduce.
To protect yourself effectively against mosquitoes, the best thing is still to buy a spray in a pharmacy – be careful, some have contraindications, it is important to ask your pharmacist for advice!
Four molecules are really effective in repelling mosquitoes
The most effective molecules are DEET (N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide: a minimum concentration of 25% is required), theicaridin (a substance derived from piperine, the molecule that gives black pepper its pungent flavor),IR3535 (in the long version: ethyl butylacetylaminopropanoate, it can be used from the age of 6 months at a concentration of 20%, at the rate of one application per day maximum) and the citriodiol (also known as “lemon eucalyptus essential oil”).
In addition, some common sense measures can prevent bites:
- wear covering and loose clothing when walking (if possible white because, it has been proven, mosquitoes are attracted to dark clothing)
- sleep under a mosquito net
- empty the stagnant water points which could encourage the reproduction of the undesirables – the gutters of the house, the saucers of the flowerpots.
And if despite these precautions, a tiger mosquito still manages to bite you, here is how to relieve the bites:
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