Adventures in India

Ready to head off into the woods? Don't forget your mosquito control products. Nothing ruins a camping trip like becoming a buffet for every biting bug in the forest.

There is a significant segment of the population who like nothing more than strapping o­n their hiking backpacks and heading out for a brisk encounter with the great outdoors. Maybe it's all that fresh air and sunlight, or the sight of Mother Nature in all her glory, or the sound of the wind sighing through the trees. Whatever it is, all's right with the world until Mother Nature gets a little too close, often in the form of a biting bug. Among the worst of those biters is the mosquito, who'd like nothing more than to sip your rich, salty blood. That wouldn't be so bad, if they didn't leave all those itchy bumps all over the place. Fortunately, we humans are terribly smart, and we've found all sorts of ways to keep mosquitoes at bay.

Back, I say! Back!

In our battle against mosquitoes and their relatives, humans have developed mosquito control products that range from the defensive to the outright offensive (to humans as well as bugs). Most can be boiled down into three types: mechanical, passive, and chemical. Mechanical control products are just that: machines that kill or drive away mosquitoes. They range from little gadgets that emit an ultrasonic whine that mosquitoes are supposed to hate (ehhh), to mosquito traps that attract bugs from acres around and suck them in and to their doom (very effective), to those nifty ultraviolet bug zappers that attract insects to an electrified grid, where they're electrocuted instantly with a satisfying snap (not as effective as traps, but much cooler!)

Then you've got the passive systems, which are basically just defensive. You don't try to kill the bugs, you just fix it so they can't get you. This is the principal behind mosquito netting, which is basically a fine mesh you put between the outside world and yourself. A simple mesh for insects can work to protect you without smells or devices. However, the mesh can only protect a limited area.

It lets through light and air, but keeps all but the tiniest bugs out. It's actually quite effective, assuming that there are no holes in it anywhere (mosquitoes are very persistent), or you don't run into big, muscular mosquitoes who are so eager to feast o­n your blood that they make their own holes. But relax -- this hardly ever happens. Really.

Chemical warfare

Our chemical methods of fighting off mosquitoes and their buddies seem the most popular method in use, at least in the USA, and have held us in good stead for many years. There's seemingly no end to the unguents, sprays, lotions, essences, and pills manufactured to repel mosquitoes, and some of them even work. They range from garlic pills (sure to repel your fellow humans if not the bugs) to compounds with names so long that no o­ne without a Ph.D. ever remembers how to spell them. Take DEET -- that's an acronym, by the way, but no o­ne can remember what it stands for. DEET is extremely effective, particularly in 100% concentrations; but some people find that it causes their skin to burn, and it has the unfortunate effect of melting any plastic it encounters. A more natural repellent is citronella, an oil derived from oranges. It's not as effective as DEET, but mosquitoes do hate citrus scents and are liable to fly away rather than poke you, unless they're really hungry.

<font size="1">Published with permission (FCDMInc)</font>