Summer is still a long time coming, but with the warm temperatures, the insects are back – and mosquitoes in particular become a nuisance. Scientists have now discovered which scent attracts the tormentors in particular – and which rumors keep the mosquitoes at bay.
Those who sit outside in the evening are usually immediately attacked by them: the mosquitoes. When you get bitten, the itch usually almost drives you crazy. Many of the commercially available remedies only help to a limited extent – except mosquito repellents – but they make the skin sticky. Scientists at Virginia Tech University have now tested to what extent the choice of soap makes humans more attractive to mosquitoes.
Soap can make mosquitoes even more attractive
“Everyone smells differently, even after using soap, deodorant or shower gel. Your physiological state, the way you live, what you eat and the places you spend time all affect your smell,” explains co-author and biologist Chloé Lahondère. “And chemical scents dramatically change the way we smell.”
Soap, in particular, can change the pest’s preferences for certain people, the researchers said: “The same person who was already hugely attractive to mosquitoes without a shower, became even more attractive to the insects with one scent of soap – with another scent it was, totally repellent. said Lahondre.
Pineapple hui, coconut ugh
Four well-known soap brands were tested, and it was found that scents derived from plants or very floral scents tended to attract mosquitoes. Mosquitoes “fly” mainly on pineapple aroma. The bugs didn’t like coconut at all.
“It confirms what previous studies have found: mosquitoes don’t like coconut-scented products,” says senior author and neuroethologist Clément Vinauger. So it’s safest to stock up on this if you want to effectively keep the critters at bay in the summer – without constantly resorting to tacky mosquito repellent.
Source: Krone
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