Photo: CDC Public Health Image Library

By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now

Ahh, the sounds of summer. Birds chirping, food sizzling on the grill, the buzzing and buzzing and buzzing, the slapping, the spraying and, of course, the slamming of the back door as everyone races back inside.

Summer’s biggest bummer is that swarm of mosquitoes heading your way. As if their irritating blood-sucking isn’t bad enough, they can carry serious diseases.

Of the roughly 200 species of mosquitoes in the U.S., according to the fact-filled American Mosquito Control Association website, there are varieties that can transmit West Nile virus, malaria, dengue and Eastern Equine encephalitis.

There are lots of products on the market that promise to repel mosquitoes. The ones considered most effective, since 1957, contain the chemical DEET. It’s been approved by the EPA, the American Academy of Pediatrics and Centers for Disease Control for use on anyone older than 2 months.

But there are alternatives, derived from natural ingredients, for those who worry about using DEET, which has been known to cause skin rashes and neurological health effects in rare cases.

Aside from DEET, two  more mosquito repellent ingredients top the CDC’s approval list: the synthetic chemical picaridin, and oil of lemon eucalyptus. The CDC considers both to be as effective as DEET.

Picaridin is the most popular repellent in the world outside the U.S. It’s odorless, feels pleasant and, although derived from a pepper, is synthetic. There are only low concentrations for sale in the U.S. Cutter Advanced Sport has 15 percent picaridin and can only be used once daily, or 7 percent Cutter Advanced which can be used three times daily.

Lemon eucalyptus is now the most recommended natural mosquito repellent for consumers. It is sold as Repel Lemon Eucalyptus ($7.50 for 4 oz.) and is a botanical that’s OK for kids at least 3 years old. Consumer Reports, in a 2006 study, said it was the best non-DEET repellent. It’s sold at many large retail stores.

Another CDC-recommended anti-bug ingredient considered a biopesticide is IR3535, a synthetic version of an amino acid. It’s in Bull Frog Mosquito Coast (20 percent IR3535) and Avon has it, along with sunscreen, in their Skin So Soft Bug-Guard Plus.

After these “officially approved” mosquito repellents, there are a cornucopia of “natural”  items  that claim to keep bugs at bay. Determining their efficacy is tricky, if not impossible.

The most familiar among them is citronella, derived from the lemon-scented citronella grass (not the same as lemongrass). We’ve been burning it in candles and coils, or applying citronella oil-infused bug deterrents for years (although it can irritate the skin).  Unfortunately, studies have shown that the lotion works for less than 20 minutes, and if you’re not standing in the candle’s smoke, you’re probably being bitten. It is also sold by major retailers and there are lots of options on Amazon.com.

More recently, other essential oils have been getting attention as natural insect repellents. Among the most popularly: neem, garlic, mint, pepper, thyme, cedar, geranium, peppermint, soybean, eucalyptus, rose, tea tree, castor, basil, cloves, onions, feverfew, cinnamon, lemongrass or rosemary.

There are also lists of natural mosquito control ingredients from the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, The Green Guide, Consumer Search and AltMedicine at About.com.

Photo: CDC Public Health Image Library

Mosquito Fish, which can eat their weight in mosquito larvae daily

By the way, just because a product is “botanical” doesn’t make it safe. Products with pyrethrum (extracted from a daisy) have a “caution” rating from the EPA and can be toxic to fish and possibly birds. Other “natural” ingredients that could be risky are nicotine sulfate and sabadilla. Consumer Search says Canada is phasing out the use of citronella and lavender oil because of potential health risks.

A few natural repellents pop up repeatedly in recommended products: Bite Blocker ($9 for a 4-oz. spray bottle), Buzz Away Extreme Natural Insect Repellent ($10 for a 4-oz bottle), Burt’s Bees Herbal Insect Repellent ($8 for 4-oz bottle) and EcoSmart Organic Insect Repellent ($7 for a 6-oz. bottle).

Searching the web will turn up hundreds of other options. There are home-made recipes online, using everything from vanilla extract to soybean oil to catnip oil – but don’t apply oils directly to the skin (dilute them with other ingredients), as they can irritate or cause an allergic reaction.

One approach that’s been around for a few years, but just last year hit the market in the form of a skin patch called Don’t Bite Me, is the use of Vitamin B1. Exuded through the skin, B1 is reportedly offensive to mosquitoes, but undetectable to barbecue companions. Don’t Bite Me patches, available at Rite Aid drugstores and Kroger groceries, claim to fend off mosquitoes for a full 36 hours and provide complete body coverage (because it’s systemic not a lotion or spray there are no missed spots). The scent “forms a protective barrier around the body” says the press release. The product has received some positive anecdotal reviews, but skeptics of this approach abound.

What doesn’t work? Bug-zappers kill mostly useful insects and very few mosquitoes, according to the American Mosquito Control Association. Ultrasonic devices have been proven ineffective in 10 studies. There are new sticky, specially scented mosquito “traps” that may catch some bugs, but the jury is still out on those. Fancy, expensive misting systems may work, and can use less toxic chemicals, but they still disperse a lot of insecticide in the air and on your patio or deck.

Photo: CDC Public Health Image Library

Fertile breeding grounds for mosquitoes — rainwater-filled bottles and cans

And bats? Sure, it could be fun to build a bat house, and the Bat Conservation Society has lots of varieties you can buy. While it’s true that bats mostly eat insects, they generally prefer beetles, wasps and moths. According to the American Mosquito Control group, mosquitoes make up less then 1 percent of the diet of wild bats. Oh, and remember bats can transmit diseases, too.

All of which leads us to common sense ways to avoid mosquitoes:

• Look for standing water in cans, buckets, tires, old plastic swimming pools, rain gutters, puddles and in tarps. That’s where they breed. Keep birdbaths fresh and stock your ornamental pond with fish that like to eat larvae.
• Some bugs like perfumes, lotions, scented deodorant, etc., so you might want to skip those
• Make sure the screens on windows and doors are OK.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants if you’re going to be around the biters for a while. And you can put the repellent on your clothes, too.
• Plant mosquito-unfriendly plants such as marigolds, citronella grass, catnip or horsemint.
• Ready to give up? Just don’t go outside between dusk and dawn.

Hungering for answers to questions about mosquitoes? The Mosquito Control group has a frequently asked questions page. Find insect repellent facts from the CDC, as well as more information on the active ingredients in repellents. They also have a list of practical steps to take to minimize mosquitoes.

Having a plan is a good idea. Consider these facts about the diseases mosquitoes transmit:

• Last year, there were 1,356 confirmed cases of West Nile virus in the U.S., with 44 deaths (California had the most cases), according to the CDC. Last month, the first human case was confirmed this year near Los Angeles. Less common in this country is dengue, which has cropped up in the U.S. 3,806 times from 1997 to 2004. Worldwide, though, more than 100 million people fall ill every year.

• Malaria, also spread by mosquitoes, kills more than 1 million people around the world, most in Africa. About 1,300 cases are diagnosed in the U.S. every year, the CDC says, mostly in travelers and immigrants. More lethal is Eastern Equine encephalitis, which usually only impacts horses or birds. There are only about five human cases in the U.S. annually, but it is so lethal that one-third of those infected die.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

It comes up every summer, that pesty green quandary: Should you use strong chemicals like DEET to fend off the mosquitoes and ticks that can transmit the insidious Lyme Disease and the potentially deadly West Nile Virus?

We want to use less toxic protection, formulas that are based on natural ingredients or at least those that haven’t been shown to cause neurological damage (albeit in rare cases). Ironically, using DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) to protect against West Nile forces you to choose between potential rare neurological side effects. Will you overreact to DEET or be the unlucky one whose case of West Nile runs amok, producing neurological manifestations? Which raises the question — what are the odds?

Turns out you are more likely to get a severe case of West Nile than you are to have a bad reaction to DEET (and you can control that possibility with careful application). The Centers for Disease Control reports that there were 44 fatalities caused by West Nile in the US in 2008 from among the 687 cases in which the virus  mushroomed into encephalitis or meningitis (meaning it induced swelling in the brain or spinal cord.)

So protecting oneself against mosquitoes is paramount. Yes, the issue can be slippery as citronella oil. There are many safer, natural compounds that repel mosquitoes (more on that in a minute). We don’t want to swim in chemicals. But we don’t want the July 4th barbie to wrap up in the ER either.

In the end, I have a hard time arguing against the best protection available. DEET does get the job done. Consumer Reports has shown it to be effective. The Centers for Disease Control endorses it (but notes in a fact sheet that rare cases of over exposure have resulted in kids having “seizures or brain damage”). The American Academy of Pediatrics views its use on little children older than two months favorably, noting that it is effective for about two hours at a 10 percent concentration, though it also cautions that DEET should be applied “sparingly on exposed skin” and not used under clothing, among other precautions.

I’m no expert, but here’s my compromise: When I send a kid (or myself) into mosquito territory, I use a first line of defense of clothing, longer sleeves, socks, pants. Conveniently, this gives me alternative surfaces on which to spray DEET, which minimizes its skin contact. If we’re talking woods and high grass, I will even apply a bit of a DEET product directly to pulse points (wrists and necks). Then I liberally spray an alternative product that’s considered skin safe (and contains a proven deterrent like lemon eucalyptus oil or soybean oil) on any other exposed skin, such as the back of necks, forearms, knees and calves.

I feel like this is the best of both worlds, though I know this is a solution that will satisfy neither those opposed to DEET or DEET boosters like the trade group, Consumer Specialty Products Association, which recently sent an email reminding us of DEET’S virtues. Still, it works for me, the Scout and the Nature Girl.

Speaking of chemicals, we have found that one of the best ways to reduce our mosquito risk is to cut back on chemicals in other ways. Our yard is pesticide-free and planted with mainly native plants, which has promoted a proliferation of beneficial bugs that eat mosquitoes, such as dragon flies. It’s a good argument for doing all we can to keep birds and bats around too.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

For decades, relief work in Africa has fought a deadly disease with an environmentally deadly chemical, spraying with DDT to quell malarial outbreaks, even though world health agencies know that DDT has a devastating effect on the environment, killing wildlife and contaminating water supplies.

Today, the UN Agencies announced they will try to move 40 countries in Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and Central Asia, away from reliance on the persistent, toxic chemical by using other methods to fight mosquito-born malaria, which infects more than 250 million people a year, claiming 880,000 lives annually.

The new techniques include eliminating mosquito breeding sites, securing homes with mesh screens and introducing installing mosquito-repelling trees and fish that eat mosquito larvae, according to a United Nations news release.

The new projects evolved from a successful five-year pilot program using DDT alternatives in Mexico and Central America, where the pesticide-free approach has reduced cases of malaria by 60 percent, the UN reports.

The UN and the World Health Organization (WHO) with help from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) hope to cut DDT use worldwide by 30 percent by 2014 while continuing to reduce malaria.

“The new projects underline the determination of the international community to combat malaria while realizing a low, indeed zero, DDT world,” said UN Environment Programme Executive Director Achim Steiner. “Today we are calling time on a chemical rooted in the scientific knowledge and simplistic options of a previous age.”

Malaria is a sometimes fatal disease caused by a parasite transmitted by infected mosquitoes. Human victims first experience fever, headache, and vomiting. It is endemic in tropical areas, including Sub-Saharan Africa.

DDT, the synthetic pesticide Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane was first found effective in fighting malaria and typhus during World War II. But its use as an agricultural insecticide after the war became controversial when people realized that the persistent chemical created widespread environmental damage. It’s commonly blamed for the near extinction of the U.S. national bird, the American Bald Eagle, and for polluting ground water and soil. Environmentalist Rachel Carson sounded the alarm about DDT in her seminal work, Silent Spring.

DDT is not the only pesticide used to kill mosquito populations in malaria-prone parts of the world; many others are used as well, but DDT may be the most controversial chemical deployed against malaria, given it has been banned for agricultural use around the world in recognition of its harm to the environment.

In some areas, it is believed that mosquitoes have developed a resistance to DDT.

(Photo credit: United Nations)

‘Tis the time of year for bugs to start bugging us. They may be creepy, or stingers, but most bugs and spiders serve a useful purpose in the environment. There are numerous devices now to help you trap and release wayward insects, indoors and out.

For those who are timid toward spiders and other creepy crawlies in the house, there are several ways to trap them and sent them go their buggy way.

You can find several variation on the “one bug at a time” catcher, such as the Katcha Bug Catcher, right, a small plastic dome placed over a wayward spider or other bug. Slowly close the trap-door, and take the bug outside. It’s $8 from the PETA Catalog, and it’s also available from other Web retailers.

The Spider Catcher, at left, is made in the UK, but you can easily order it from the U.S. It’s a simple idea — a long-handled device with straight, soft bristles at the end that open and then gently close around your eight-legged buddy long enough for you to carry it outside. (Although some might suggest that you leave spiders alone in your house – they eat other bugs). It’s $20. They say it’s gentle enough to pick up a butterfly and leave it unharmed, but we suspect those soft bristles might not be tough enough to grab  a jumbo cockroach.

Gaiam has the battery-free BugZooka, which extends up to 24” for you to suck in an errant bug and release it outside.  It’s $29.

Outdoors, combine cornering wasps with streamlined design using the organic wasp trap, $31.90, at right, created by industrial designer Pernille Vea of Denmark. The pretty trap uses sugar and vinegar, and its funnel-shaped entrance holds wasps inside until you’re ready to release them. (Try to keep the errant bees out, though. You need them in the yard to pollinate.)

If you’re so nature friendly you refuse to swat a mosquito, Gaiam has a pocket-sized Solar Mosquito Guard, at left, which emits a high-frequency wave that keeps mosquitoes at bay.

And if none of these smush-free bug devices suit your fancy, you might go with the tried and true clear plastic bag filled with water hanging from the rail or roof. You see them in the South and all over Mexico. Their effectiveness is a bit of a mystery, but many experts attribute their success to light refraction.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media