Houston – It’s that time of the year again. With rising temperatures and increased humidity comes the pesky mosquitoes, but they’re no joke. While many people reach for their bug repellents, some claim to avoid mosquito bites at all.
why is that?
According to researchers at Virginia Tech, College of Agriculture and Life SciencesCertain soaps may make people more or less attractive to mosquitoes.
“Simply changing the scent of your soap could make it more or less attractive to people who already attract a higher than average rate of mosquitoes,” he said. Clement VinogerHe is an assistant professor of biochemistry and co-principal investigator on the proof-of-concept study.
His collaborator, Chloe Laondale, is also an assistant professor of biochemistry.
Four volunteers were asked to study the relationship between soap and mosquito attraction, and the researchers looked at the unique odor profiles of people who washed with Dial, Dove, Native, and Simple Truth soaps, compared to those who didn’t.
According to Vinauger, more than 60% of the odor that lingers after washing your face comes from the soap, not your natural body odor.
“The other aspect is that you’re not just adding something to your body odor, you’re replacing some of the chemicals while removing the chemicals that are being washed away,” Vinauger says, “so there’s likely a lot of chemical interactions between the natural chemicals and the chemicals in the soap.”
To test for odor interactions, the researchers released mosquitoes into a mesh case containing two cups of order extract and gave them a choice between washed and unwashed odors, which were collected from a nylon sleeve worn around the forearm in both washed and unwashed conditions.
We tested many different scent combinations.
“This method allows us to actually measure and quantify the effect of soaps on making an individual more or less attractive,” says Vinauger, “and we found that not all soaps have the same effect on all volunteers.”
What were the results of your scent preferences?
Three of the four soaps increased mosquito attraction, while one decreased it. All of the soaps had a fruity or floral scent. It was the coconut scent that reduced mosquito attraction, the researchers said.
Research suggests that using coconut-scented soap may reduce mosquito attraction.
“This was very interesting to us because there is other evidence in the literature that increasing certain fatty acids, such as those found in coconut oil derivatives, can act as repellents for mosquitoes and other insects,” Vinauger said.
Other possible factors
The research team plans to expand the study to include more participants and types of soap to get a clearer understanding of the effects.
“It’s important to try different soaps because we’re seeing that it’s the combination of your natural odor and that particular soap that matters,” Vinauger said. “We also need to study the duration of these effects. What happens if you shower in the morning? What about at night? Future studies need to answer these questions.”
Soap is only part of the equation, the researchers said: Deodorants, laundry detergents and other scented products may also be contributing factors.
The study on mosquito-soap interactions was published in iScience on May 10, 2023, and was funded in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Agriculture and Food Research.
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