An insect repellent or “bug spray” is something that we apply to our skin, clothes, or other surfaces to discourage insects arthropods from landing or crawling on that surface. Insect repellents are commonly used to prevent and control the outbreak of insect-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, bubonic plague, Lyme disease, etc. Some insect repellents are insecticides or they kill the insects, but most simply repel insects, forcing them to fly or crawl away. Read on to learn how insect repellents work, what are their properties, types and chemical nature.

What are Insect Repellents?

Insect repellents are substances that repel and suppress the insects to land or climb on a surface, especially on the skin of humans and other animals. Also known as ‘bug spray’, they are used in various forms such as ointment, spray, etc., that are applied on the skin, clothes, or other surfaces.   

A mosquito, for example, is one of the most prevalent insects that cause us all to be upset. To get rid of this insect, a variety of ointments and methods are utilised. Insecticides protect us from insects, but they also have major negative effects due to the dangerous compounds they contain. 

As a result, we’re gradually transitioning to insect repellents like bug spray, ointments, oil, insect repellent machines, and so on. In addition to these chemical compounds, we can employ non-toxic and environmentally friendly methods such as planting insect repellant plants in our surroundings, sleeping with mosquito nets, and so on.

Insect Repellent Plants

We should avoid using chemical substances to get rid of insects. For this, the best option is to plant-insect repellent plants in our surroundings. Insects avoid coming near these plants due to some characteristic smell. This type of sustainable approach will protect us from insects and give us oxygen and spread greenery around us. Some of the insect repellent plants are listed below:

1. Citronella Plant

This is a famous mosquito repellent plant. Oil extracted from citronella leaves is a good mosquito repellent.

2. Lavender Plant

Lavender plants can repel flying insects like mosquitos, moths, and other flies. Since the flowers of this plant have a pleasant fragrance, they will also scent the air. The most effective way to use it for pest control is to rub lavender oil on the skin.

3. Lemongrass Plant

This plant is known to be an excellent mosquito repellent. Due to its strong odour, around \(95%\) of species of mosquitoes are either killed or completely repelled by the lemongrass plant.

4. Marigold Plant

Marigold flowers have a special chemical known as pyrethrum that is used in many insect repellents. It is an effective insect killer.

Insect Repellent Devices or Machines

Natural remedies are not as effective as chemicals. But these chemicals are not good for our health. Thus to meet our needs, many electrical devices are developed that are popularly used as insect repellents nowadays.

Some of the insect repellent devices or machines available in the market are as follows:

1. Ultrasonic Bug Repellents – Ultrasonic insect repellers emit short-wavelength, high-frequency sound waves that are too high for humans to hear but insects hear these sounds and do not come near that range where it is plugged in.

2. Mosquito repellent machine with a vaporizer – Some famous vaporizers are All-Out, Good knight, etc., which are used to kill mosquitoes.

3. Anti-Mosquito Racket – These anti-mosquito rackets are used to kill mosquitos. When the user waves the racket around, the mosquitoes get trapped in the net mesh, which shorts the circuit and kills them. 

Chemicals Used in Insect Repellent

Insect repellent spray or bug spray, ointments, etc., are made up of chemicals. Some of the chemicals present in these repellents are N, N-Diethyl-\(3\)-Methylbenzamide (DEET), Cyfluthrin is a common household insecticide and pesticide. It is a complex organic compound. Other compounds such as Citriodiol (p-methane-\(3,8\) diol), Icaridin, \(1\)-Methyl Piperazine, etc.

Natural Insect Repellents

Though we choose chemical insect repellents to get rid of insects, they have serious side effects also. For example, DEET a famous organic compound used in most insect repellents but, it is harmful to our central nervous system, and can cause dangerous, toxic side effects on prolonged exposure.

Thus, to avoid such side effects, we should switch to natural insect repellents such as essential oils that consist of eucalyptus, rosemary, lemongrass, lavender, cloves, etc. Instead of using mosquito repellent devices, we should use mosquito nets while sleeping. We should also put net mesh on doors and windows of our house so that insects are stopped to enter inside and we also get fresh air and light. These steps should be taken to prevent ourselves from side effects of chemicals in the future.

Effects of Insect Repellents on Environment

Keeping in mind the consumer benefits, a large number of insect repellents have been developed in recent years. Though we know the advantages of insect repellents, the toxicity caused in the environment is of great concern leading to health diseases. These hazardous chemicals enter our biological systems and generate harmful effects, including intermediate metabolites.

Some biological phenomena like biotransformation followed by bioaccumulation are caused due to these hazardous chemicals. Some of their effects on the environment are listed below:

1. When these chemical insect repellents are sprayed on crop fields, they contaminate groundwater, soil and with rainfall, they flow to the water bodies polluting them also.
2. DEET, a chemical used in insect repellent, contaminates groundwater and breaks down slowly in soil, and hence contaminates soil and drinking groundwater.
3. Cyfluthrin resembles DEET and it has adverse effects on the aquatic life system.
4. Pyrethroids cause serious health issues such as nausea, headaches and are also carcinogenic. They also disturb fish and other aquatic lives.
5. Permethrin is a synthetic bug repellent and a common pesticide. They are toxic to the aquatic ecosystem.

Summary

Insect repellents are chemical or natural substances that discourage insects from land or climb on a surface especially on the skin of humans and other animals. Excessive use of synthetic chemicals present in insect repellents is adversely affecting human health as well as our environment. Thus we should try to minimize their uses and used natural products like essential oils, insect repellent plants, etc.

There are numerous insect repellent machines present in the market that are designed to get rid of mosquitoes, bees, beetles, bugs, etc. If we do not control them on time, these insects will spread as pests. We all experience the damage caused by cockroaches, mosquitoes, ants, etc., in our daily life.

Thus, in short, we should use insect repellents instead of insecticides as they are less harmful and protect us from various diseases like malaria, chikungunya, dengue, and many more.

FAQs on Insect Repellents

The most commonly asked questions on Insect Repellents are answered here:

Q.1. What is the best mosquito repellent device? Ans. The best mosquito repellent device is the ‘mosquito killer lamp’. All flies and insects get attracted to these high-intensity ultraviolet bulbs in the device. Once the insects come in contact with these extremely powerful and high voltages electrically charged metal grids, they immediately die.

Q.2. What is the most effective insect repellent? Ans. The most effective insect repellent contains a chemical known as DEET (N, N-Diethyl-\(3\)-Methylbenzamide). It is present in most of the effective bug sprays.

Q.3. Which insect repellents contain citriodiol? Ans. Estradiol is a good insect repellent derived as oil from the leaves of the Eucalyptus citriodora tree. They are mostly used in anti-mosquito spray.

Q.4. Is insect repellent flammable? Ans. Yes, insect repellent is flammable. DEET, an important ingredient present in all insect repellent sprays, is a highly flammable and toxic chemical. They are packed in high pressure and these aerosols may spark on leakage.

Q.5. How does insect repellent work? Ans. Various insect repellents are available in the market. For example, essential oils such as lemongrass, citronella, neem, lavender, eucalyptus, and many more as natural repellents. They have a strong smell and when insects come near the area where these oils are applied, they go away immediately due to their smell. Some devices such as mosquito rackets and zappers, etc. use ultrasonic and electromagnetic waves to repel insects like mosquitoes.

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