Department stores and pharmacy chains sell hundreds of different varieties of bracelets. Mosquito repellents that don’t workīracelets don’t work. This video from the YouTube channel Veritasium shows our team performing a Y-tube choice assay experiment. For some products, testing was as simple as putting a volunteer’s treated arm into a cage with 25 mosquitoes and waiting for the first mosquito bite. We used a variety of scientific laboratory experiments and field tests to find out what works. Scientists understand how certain repellents like DEET work at the molecular level, but for many of them, it is still unknown why exactly they repel mosquitoes.

The repellent either blocks or overstimulates these senses. These repellents interfere with a mosquito’s sense of smell, taste or both. Today, we have more options than our ancestors when it comes to choosing what type of mosquito repellent to use – sprays and lotions, candles, coils and vaporizers, to name some. During this period, smoke from smudge fires was often used to repel mosquitoes. Some of the oldest records of the use of mosquito repellents date back to early Egyptian and Roman history. The use of mosquito repellents goes far back in history, certainly predating written historical accounts.

Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself this summer: All about repellents Our team at the New Mexico State University Molecular Vector Physiology Laboratory has studied different types of mosquito repellents and their efficacy for over a decade.

However, one of the best ways to protect yourself when you’re going to a place where hungry mosquitoes will be buzzing around is by using mosquito repellents.

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