Does A Certain Body Wash Attract Mosquitos In Montana?
We combat with bugs in Montana during the summer almost constantly. Not so much of it being bad like some southern states, but they are definitely around and in your face like, deer and horse flies, all types of bees, ticks and of course, mosquitos. And we do what we can to keep them at bay.
However, are we already losing the battle between human and bug when we wash up in the shower every day?
According to an article of findings from iScience, it's totally possible.
It's not just body washes, it's most forms of detergent like hand soaps, laundry detergents, etc.
According to the article, Mosquitos rely on olfactory signatures or certain scents creatures emit due to their metabolic make up to discern what type of prey they feed upon to live.
Synthetic liquids people use to clean anything from themselves to their laundry contain volatile organic compounds or VOC's that facilitate interactions between plants and mosquitos due to their floral scent profiles.
READ MORE: Battling Pesky Horse and Deer Flies in MT
Soaps like Dial, Native, Dove and Simple Truth are some how interacting with The VOC's humans have to alter the chemistry on how a mosquito is attracted.
The study was conducted obviously with an arm that was cleaned with said soaps and the control of an arm that was unwashed, posting different results of attraction.
The result an alteration of behavior by the mosquito when (PCP's) or Personal Care products were introduced to skin.
Would It be wise to clean yourself with natural no scented soaps during the summer? Maybe, but who knows if that will work.
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