How Does
How Does Mosquito Repellant Work?
Masks Your Human Smell
-
The primary way that most repellants work, whether they are made of synthetic chemicals or natural oils, is by masking the normal smells that attract mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes are attracted to the warmth of the human body, the carbon dioxide that humans breathe out, and the chemical smells that humans release from their skin and sweat glands. Most repellants simply cover the normal human smell with a chemical or natural oil smell which is not attractive to mosquitoes.
You can't use just any smell to cover your own and deter mosquitoes; if that were so, nobody would wear the rather unpleasant-smelling repellants. But many fragrances in perfumes and body products actually attract mosquitoes, so they won't work to cover up the human smell.
Makes You Taste/Smell Bad to Bugs
-
Other repellants work not by masking your smell, but by making you smell and taste bad to the little mosquitoes. The components of the repellants coat your skin, creating a chemical layer which does not smell or taste good to mosquitoes--the way your uncoated skin does.
Produce a Repellant Effect
-
Other repellants do as the name implies: they contain ingredients that deter mosquitoes from coming close to the source of the repellant. The repellants may be irritating to the mosquitoes or too strong for their sensitive antennae. However, most of these repellants only work within a very small area; you may notice mosquitoes in the vicinity, but they should not bite you.
eHow Article: How Does Mosquito Repellant Work?
