Can a mosquito repellent last for two weeks?

When it comes to personal mosquito repellent, DEET is the most widely-used. Could something better be on the horizon?

Our most dependable mosquito repellent was developed in the 1940's. While it is effective for the purpose of repelling insects, one application lasts for only a couple of hours. When you are hiking or camping, you might find DEET a reasonable solution. For military personnel, deployed in high-risk mosquito disease regions of the world, however, re-applying repellent is not always possible. With this in mind, the US Department of Defense believes it's time we developed an improved solution.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is funding development of a new, long-lasting mosquito repellent.

DARPA recently awarded $15M to a team, who is set to develop a biologic mosquito repellent. It is known that mosquitoes are attracted to humans based on scent, which acts as a biological beacon. They seek the taste of salty human blood in order to reproduce. Our skin's microbiome is responsible for producing the chemicals that put mosquitoes onto our scent. A team of scientists is setting to work on creating a Live Biotherapeutic Product (LBP) that can be applied to human skin, and actively repel mosquitoes for up to two weeks at a time by masking our scent. And while this initiative was set into motion to protect military personnel, it could have positive global health implications.

Why is this personal mosquito protection so important for world health?

Mosquito-borne illnesses are collectively responsible for more than one million deaths worldwide each year. This new repellent could eliminate a great number of harmful or deadly mosquito bites in areas, where highly-effective protection is not yet possible. According to the World Health Organization, there were 219,000,000 cases of malaria in 2017. Among those known cases, there were more than 400,000 deaths. There are more than three billion people at risk for contracting malaria throughout the world. This type of personal mosquito bite protection could be key to drastically decreasing these and other mosquito-borne illnesses, including Zika and West Nile Virus.

The best way to avoid a mosquito-borne illness is not to get bitten. Choose professional Litchfield mosquito control at home.

We are fortunate in the US to have effective mosquito control and mosquito repellents right at our fingertips. Mosquito Squad’s at-home Litchfield mosquito control measures will offer the best protection from mosquito bites. Our natural mosquito protection lasts for two weeks! Our EPA-registered barrier mosquito control can be applied to your entire yard, and will last for up to three weeks between applications.

Mosquito Squad of Southern New Hampshire will help protect your entire family from mosquito bites with effective at-home mosquito control. Call us at (603) 538-3125 to begin your 2021 Litchfield mosquito control regimen.