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Title: Bug Wars, Part II: Repelling the Enemy
Article Summary: A look at summer pests and effective ways to protect you and your family from them.
Word Count: 1099
First Published: 2002

Contact Info:
Paula Polman
paula@TheLearningCenterForEntrepreneurs.com
780-270-8146 MST
Edmonton AB Canada


Over the centuries people have rubbed rancid animal fat on their skin, bathed in various herbal concoctions, utilized smudge pots, devised special clothing and more recently, sprayed on chemical repellants. Anything to gain a few moments of relief from the buzzing and the biting.

The importance of repellants these days is clear. With people travelling worldwide the spread of blood bourne disease is a very real concern. A number of infectious agents, such as malaria, Lyme disease and the West Nile virus, have been quite adaptable at utilizing haemophagous (blood feeding) insects to spread and reproduce. Worldwide 700,000,000 people are infected annually by mosquitoes alone.

What are the options available today for controlling our exposure to these voracious pests? Ultimately we have to look at two things: controlling the number of pests in the local environment and the use of personal repellents. As we already examined the environmental issues in Part I, in this article we want to personal.

Personal repellents are available in the forms of lotions, sprays and recently wrist bands. The majority of insect repellents contain the active ingredient DEET, however, many people have begun to seek more natural alternatives to chemical sprays. Are they as effective though?

Repellents can be registered for use in Canada if they provide greater than 95% protection for at least 30 minutes after application. They receive a registration number granted under the Pest Control Products Act and are labelled as insect repellents for use on humans. Never use a product labelled as an insecticide on your body.

All repellents will have directions for safe use, including areas to avoid like the faces and hands of small children so they are not ingesting the repellent, spraying on clothes and not skin, avoiding eyes and open skin (cuts, etc) and washing well when you come indoors. Read the label of any product you pick up as it is required both in Canada and the USA to properly label repellents.

N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide, or DEET as it's more commonly known as, is probably the most well known active chemical ingredient. While some people find they react to DEET, both Health Canada and the Environmental Protection Agency in the US have both ruled that DEET is a safe product that can be used in concentrations up to 100%. However, few products have that extreme a concentration. The majority of commercial repellents contain a 4 to 30% concentration.

DEET was first introduced to the American Military in 1946 and released to the public in 1957. With over 30 years of hard data, DEET remains an effective and safe product to use, following the general guidelines for proper repellent application, including avoiding the eyes, mouth, open skin, and the hands of small children. In Canada, it is not recommended to use DEET based products on infants 0-6 mos. Products can be used on children 6 mos-2 yrs only when in a high risk area (like camping in the bush) and low concentrations (10% or less) are recommended for children 2-12. The EPA on the other hand, says low concentrations are fine for all ages.

The expectation of bite protection from DEET based products is as follows:
30% DEET will provide 6.5 hours of protection;
15% DEET will provide 5 hours of protection;
l0% DEET will provide approximately 3 hours of protection, and
5% DEET will provide approximately 2 hours of protection.


There has been no indications of problems with pregnant and nursing women using DEET based products, but if that is a concern, then more natural alternatives should be considered during this time.

What are the alternatives? Well you can practise some general avoidance tactics by wearing protective clothing, avoiding mosquito habitats like stagnant water and staying indoors during times of peak mosquito activity.

In terms of repellents, the availability of non-DEET products on store shelves are growing rapidly. Here some things to know.

Citronella and Lavender oils are the most common ingredients in the battle of bugs. However, studies show them to have a 30-60 minute window of effectiveness, so you are re-applying the products a number of times throughout the day. Citronella can be a skin sensitizer, meaning if you use it too much your skin may start reacting to it.

Other plant essences or essential oils with bug repellent properties include cedar, verbena, pennyroyal, lemongrass, geranium, pine, patchouli, eucalyptus, cajeput, cinnamon, rosemary, basil, thyme, allspice, garlic, and peppermint. Unlike synthetic insect repellents, naturally based repellents have been relatively poorly studied.

When tested, most of these essential oils tended to give short-lasting protection, usually less than 2 hours. Some, like pennyroyal and cajeput have reputation for being toxic although no real studies have been done to confirm or deny this. Certainly caution should be exercised especially with children if there are any doubts. Most of these oils are too strong to use on very young children and should not be used at all for the 0-2yr crowd.

If a concern about sensitivity is an issue, it is always prudent to perform a patch test where you apply a small amount of the product to your skin and leave it for 24 hours to ascertain any potential reaction.

Everyone has different levels of "bug appeal"; we all know people who never seem to be bothered by bugs and know others who are a magnet. Likewise, in general, natural repellents will be more effective on some people than they will on others. And what works for one person won't for the next, but another product entirely will work well for them. In other words, if one doesn't work, try another with a different composition because it just might.

While the industry works feverishly to find an effective natural alternative, one plant showing promise is the feline treat, catnip. Joel Coats of Iowa State University and then–postdoctoral researcher Chris Peterson had discovered the cockroach's dislike of catnip. The same team then decided to test it against mosquitoes. They discovered that catnip, which contains nepetalactone the essential oil that lends the plant its characteristic scent, repelled the pesky insects about 10 times more effectively than DEET. Studies are still the in early stages of development but if all goes well, cats may not be the only ones rolling in catnip.

As you can see, there is no one good answer. DEET based products remain the most effective repellent ingredient available in the marketplace today, but there are natural alternatives. The trick is finding the one that works for you. Or buy yourself a netted mosquito hat and jacket and start a new summer fashion in your neighbourhood.

Paula Polman, B.Sc. ran a natural cosmetics and toiletries company for 6 years and has been an entrepreneur for over 20 years. She is now involved in offering online instructional courses for small business at The Learning Center for Entrepreneurs, supporting the growth of small business thorugh extended learning. Email her at paula [at] TheLearningCenterForEntrepreneurs [dot] com or visit http://www.TheLearningCenterForEntrepreneurs.com

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