Itchy mosquito bites are far from fun. Do these seven things help end the struggle?

Summer evenings are always better without one intruder. Mosquitoes, right? While mosquitoes in some regions carry diseases, people in some other regions just get the itchy bites. Nevertheless, neither of the cases is fun.

All of us might have a friend who gets far less bitten by mosquitoes. That’s because these tiny intruders use their sense of smell to select their victims – and some people just smell good to them. But we can always change how we smell.

Do These Seven Changes Help Dodge Mosquito Bites?

Soap Brand

A study published this year found some people were more attractive to mosquitoes when they used Dove or Simple Truth soaps, than when they used one from Native. But for other people, none of the soaps changed the way they smelled to the mosquitoes.

Beer

A 2010 research tried to measure the effect of beer and water on a person’s level of attractiveness to mosquitoes. It concluded the intruders found the body scent of volunteers who had beer more attractive. But volunteers who drank water didn’t find a change.

Bananas

A US study found hands of some people who had bananas were able to better draw mosquitoes. But the same pattern isn’t necessarily true for all fruits. Volunteers who had grapes didn’t find any change in mosquito attraction.

Garlic And Vitamin B

As part of a home remedy, numerous people consume garlic and vitamin B supplements to repel mosquitoes. But a 2005 study found there is no evidence that garlic helped dodge the itchy bites. Another study from the same year gave a similar conclusion on supplements.

Deodorant

A compound in deodorants – isopropyl tetradecanoate – helped people repel mosquitoes by preventing the intruders from landing on the surface coated in deodorant, according to a study in Nature. Use deodorants while exercising too as another study blamed sweat for the bites.

Insect Repellents With Deet

Deet is found in numerous insect repellents. It doesn’t smell too good and can feel a bit oily. But repellents containing the chemical are known to provide a long-lasting shield against mosquito bites, compared with other repellents.

Treating Clothes With Insecticide

If you aren’t pleased with the idea of using repellents directly on your bare skin, you can spray the products on your clothes. This is an effective way to dodge the bites and has been used by the military too. It’s worth doing as mosquitoes are known to bite through untreated clothes.