There are plenty of mosquito products we can use to get rid of these nasty insects. Some of them are effective some are not. I guess we all own one of these mosquito products at home, but have you ever wondered how they work or are they hazardous for you health? So lets see what kind of mosquito products are out there and how safe they are.

Mosquito products could be classified in two categories based on their purpose. So there are in the first category are the mosquito products that kill the insects and in the second one we've got the products that repels mosquitoes. The products grouped in these two categories there are indoor and outdoor mosquito products.

To understand how these mosquito products work we must understand what attracts mosquitoes. So when humans and animals exhale, they give off CO2 (carbon dioxide) and other scents. Mosquitoes have sensors that can detect the presence of these chemicals at a distance of over 100 feet. Once the mosquito picks up the scent, they will immediately change direction and fly rapidly toward the intended victim. So the purpose of mosquito products would be either to attract and kill the insect or to deceive its senses.

In the fist category of mosquito products would be bug zappers and mosquito magnets. An electric bug-zapper works by attracting insects to a central ultraviolet light, surrounded by a lethal electrical grid so when the mosquito touches that grid gets burned. The best in this mosquito products category, would be the old mosquito magnet the most high-tech (and expensive) weapon in the homeowner's arsenal of mosquito products, made by American Biophysics Corporation. It uses propane to emit carbon dioxide, just as people do, which is one of the things that helps mosquitoes find you. Once mosquitoes are lured to the device, they are sucked into a trap where they dehydrate and die. So these would be about all the mosquito products that have the purpose to lure, trap and kill the mosquitoes.

In the second category of mosquito products are the repellents. They work by blocking the receptors on mosquitoes antennae for the: moisture, warmth CO2 (carbon dioxide) and odor produced by humans that are all attractants for mosquitoes. Even if it is a spray or an ointment the best repellent is DEET.

DEET (diethyl toluamide) was developed in Orlando in the 1950s and contains a synthetic chemical repellent. The mosquito products marketed today contain various concentrations of DEET some of them even to 100 percent witch is not so good for your skin. Mosquito products containing 5 percent to 7 percent DEET keep mosquitoes away for up to 2 1/2 hours.

Citronella, which is also part of this second mosquito products category, is a volatile, liquid oil derived from dried cultivated grasses. It works by repelling animals and insects without harming or killing them. It has a distinctive odor, which also repels certain animals. Oil of Citronella is considered so unlikely to cause harmful effects that some citronella products are exempt from the usual regulation. The mosquito products containing citronella come in the form of candles, cartridges, and rub-on products.

These would be the most important mosquito products available on the market today some of them effective some less effective but I think that the most important thing is weather they are safe for you, your family and your loved ones.

This article was posted on February 27, 2006