Electronic mosquito Repellant Works???

[Mac]

I saw an electric thing that you wore like a wrist watch that was supposed to give off a sound frequency like a dragon fly and repel mosquitoes. Has anyone tried one? They had it at Costco.

[Box]

I was a research assistant for Metro Mosquito Control in MN for about 5 years after getting my biology degree. While I didn't study the electronic devices, I did read quite a bit, as did many of the people at MMCD, about alternative repellents. Basically all the credible (meaning not paid by the companies who needed the studies) research I read said that these devices had no effect on repelling mosquitos. They didn't attract them, but they certainly didn't repell them. Mosquitos are attrached by CO2 (dry ice, mammal bodies respiring).

The thing we used, and that seemed to work best, is deet. We used Deep Woods Off. The problem is that this wears off quickly when sweating or in rain. When I hit the woods now, I still use DWOff. 3M was supposed to have something that worked about the same (Ultrathon??), but lasted longer. I never tried it.

I can tell you this, if you are having a party, and there are low trees or shrubs around your yard, go out and buy basically any product that has permethrin in it and hit the shrubs around it about half a day ahead of your party. Also, get anything with resmethrin in it and hit the bushes during the hot part of theday - that is where and when the little buggers are hiding out in the hot part of the day. But beware, do not use this around water as it is harmful to fish. It kills about thing flying quick-like.

So... long answer to your question :) But no, they don't work from what I have read. Best bet is to head indoors around sunup and sundown for around 45 minutes - that when they peak. Also, about 7-10 days after a rainfall of about an inich or greater is when they come off the water. Give them about one day after that and they are hungry! ...splat...

Box in MN

[sublux]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I swear I don't feel as good after the application of DEET products to my skin,....I have found a product that works VERY well (for my chemistry anyway) Its called GREEN BAN,...not sure you can get it everywhere,..but its made from plant oils from Down Under,.....I think it smells much better too,...and it doesn't evaporate rt away like DEET does,..it also works for Deer flies and horse flies,...not sure if it works on black flies,..(I've "heard" the oil of Bergamont does,.(?))

[Caneye]

I think I might want to get one as a loaner first. If it does not work you can bring it back. We get lots of Dragon Flys around our summer cottage every year. They take lots of mosquitos but even when the Dragon Flys are out in full force we still get bit up.

[vetspet(ind)]

last yr a buddy gave me a device which emitted a high pitched noise that emulated male mosquitoes....this was supposed to discourage females from homing in on you as they purportedly don't want to have sex with the males....this was stated right on the package....do you believe it!!!! i tossed the device and gave my buddy a big ribbing....the closest thing to this was the electronic flea devices....purdue veterinary school ran tests on three such devices...devised a cage which if the fleas jumped off they could not return...(grate on floor of cage)..placed e-collars on cats so they could not pick off fleas....then took the batteries out of 50% of the devices....each wk they placed 50 fleas on each cat and counted how many remained by 7 days...repeated this for 6 wks...at the end of the trial the cats with the batteries removed (control group) retained 96% of their fleas...the cats with the batteries intact retained 97% of their fleas!!!!!! i knew they did not work but many people had used them and swore they were the ultimate de-flea product ever...turns out all that happened was they had not been "hit" that year....one vet in our area who i fish with had all his cats in his reception room wearing such devices...i never had the nerve to ask him if he ever read the report by our alma mater ...the sonic flea collars are a thing of the past already...i don't believe the mosquito sonic devices work but i could be wrong....steve

[Jethro]

A salesman came out to the farm and wanted to sell us some. We said prove they work. We striped him and tied him to the yard light pole wearing nothing but the devices on his wrists. We left him there all night. In the morning he just hung there like a damp dish rag. I said that it looked like the skeeters got him good. He replyed by saying.... Not one mosquito bite, but doesn't that calf have a mother?