A. Mosquitoes, like other insects feed off of the blood of humans and other animals. The blood helps them to develop their eggs. When a bug bites a human, the insect releases their saliva into the skin and causes an allergic reaction in most people. Most of the time it is a female mosquito that attacks. This is the reason why when you get bit by a mosquito that the area of the bite gets red and itchy. Sometimes even swelling can occur. Not only does this it irritate many people but some insects can be the carriers of the West Nile virus. This is the reason for the handy-dandy "bug spray" Bug spray, also known as insect repellent is made of oils that prevent insects from landing, or even wanting to come near the area that the oil is present in. Insect repellent masks the scent of humans while releasing a scent that is unattractive to the insects. Some repellents contain an ingredient that causes the insect's sensors to malfunction which confuses the insect so that it can't sting or land on the skin. The oil and spray contain DEET, and only work for a short period of time. All of these ingredients are natural coming from plants, including lemon eucalyptus, and an oil called Citronella. The repellent oil can also be made into a spray, stick, or lotion. Insect repellents are composed of a number of chemical composites.
Some of the active ingredients in the repellents are KBR 3023, and CDC 2008. Synthetic repellents last longer, synthetic repellents have a high concentration of active ingredients. The best way to make these repellents work is to keep applying and keep applying. All you have to do is to shake the bottle and apply to your skin!
Dayna, I would have liked a more detailed explanation of how repellents work. What scent is masked? How? What scent is emitted? How do repellents confuse insect receptors? Also, not all repellents contain DEET. You imply DEET is natural, but natural repellents are marketed as an alternative to DEET.
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