Ghent University hatches an efficient anti-mosquito product
Officially speaking, the mosquito season that is characterised by that annoying buzzing and those itchy bumps on the surface of our skin has now been behind us for a while. That said, the Laboratory of Microbiology at the Faculty of Sciences at Ghent University is now aiming its sights at the skin bacteria that produce the odours that those tiny insects find so enticing.
To some extent, you can control over whether female mosquitoes find your blood attractive to feed their eggs. Though there is little or nothing you can do about your age, sex or body temperature, lotions containing essential oils of clove, cinnamon or geraniol, for example, deter them and taking an occasional shower to wash away sweat is also recommended. However, you should only use deodorants sparingly, should certainly avoid washing yourself too often and should always eat a healthy diet. Sticking to these rules will help ensure a diverse range of bacteria on your skin, which is something that mosquitoes don't actually like all that much.
Everything depends on the types of bacteria on your skin. Some produce odours that attract mosquitoes, while others emit odours that repel them. It's therefore a matter of killing the first of those two types of bacteria, but not the second. A chemically safe and environmentally friendly spray or cream that incorporates proteins should take care of that. Those proteins must be replicated in the right sequence so that they disable the target bacteria but leave the useful ones undisturbed. The only thing is that a selective anti-mosquito product of this type won't yet be available tomorrow, but the research being carried out at Ghent University means that the mosquitoes should already be on their guard.