Stickers and wristbands aren't a reliable way to prevent mosquito bites. Here's why
These products are sold online as well as in supermarkets, pharmacies and camping stores. They鈥檙e often marketed as providing 鈥渘atural鈥� protection from mosquitoes.
But unfortunately, they aren鈥檛 a reliable way to prevent mosquito bites. Here鈥檚 why 鈥� and what you can try instead.
Why is preventing mosquito bites important?
Mosquitoes can聽.听听补苍诲听聽viruses can have potentially fatal outcomes. While聽聽virus won鈥檛 kill you, it can cause potentially debilitating illnesses.
Health authorities聽聽preventing mosquito bites by: avoiding areas and times of the day when mosquitoes are most active; covering up with long sleeved shirts, long pants, and covered shoes; and applying a topical insect repellent (a cream, lotion, or spray).
I don鈥檛 want to put sticky and smelly repellents on my skin!
While for many people, the 鈥渟ting鈥� of a聽, others are聽. Some聽聽by the unpleasant feel or smell of insect repellents. Others believe topical repellents contain chemicals that are dangerous to our health.
However, many studies have shown that, when used as recommended, these products聽. All products marketed as mosquito repellents in Australia must be registered by the聽; a process that provides recommendations for safe use.
How do topical repellents work?
While there remains some uncertainty about how the聽, they appear to either block the sensory organs of mosquitoes that drive them to bite, or overpower the smells of our skin that helps mosquitoes find us.
Diethytolumide (DEET) is a聽聽in topical repellents. Picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus聽聽and have been shown to be effective and safe.
Mosquitoes are a common pest during warmer months.
How do other products work?
鈥淧hysical鈥� insect-repelling products, such as wristbands, coils and candles, often contain a botanically derived chemical and are often marketed as being an alternative to DEET.
However, studies have shown that devices such as candles聽聽provide lower mosquito-bite prevention than topical repellents.
础听聽found wristbands infused with peppermint oil failed to provide full protection from mosquito bites.
Even as topical repellent formulations applied to the skin, these botanically derived products have聽聽than recommended products such as those containing聽.
Wristbands infused with DEET have shown mixed results but may provide some聽听辞谤听. DEET-based wristbands or patches are not currently available in Australia.
There is also a range of mosquito repellent聽聽that release insecticides (for example, pyrethroids). These chemicals are primarily designed to kill or 鈥渒nock down鈥� mosquitoes rather than to simply keep them from biting us
What about stickers and patches?
Although insect repellent patches and stickers have been available for many years, there has been a sudden surge in their marketing through social media. But there are very few scientific studies testing their efficacy.
Our current understanding of the way insect repellents work would suggest these small stickers and patches offer little protection from mosquito bites.
At best, they may聽聽in the way mosquito coils containing botanical products work. However, the passive release of chemicals from the patches and stickers is likely to be substantially lower than those from mosquito coils and聽.
翱苍别听聽found a sticker infused with oil of lemon eucalyptus 鈥渄id not provide significant protection to volunteers鈥�.
, such as permethrin, will assist in reducing mosquito bites but topical insect repellents are still recommended for exposed areas of skin.
Take care when using these products
The idea you can apply a sticker or patch to your clothing to protect you from mosquito bites may sound appealing, but these devices provide a false sense of security. There is no evidence they are an equally effective alternative to the topical repellents recommended by health authorities around the world. It聽聽from a mosquito to transmit the pathogens that result in serious disease.
It is also worth noting that there are some health warnings and recommendations for their use聽. Some of these products warn against application to the skin (recommending application to clothing only) and to keep products 鈥渙ut of reach of children鈥�. This is a challenge if attached to young children鈥檚 clothing.
Similar warnings are associated with most other topical and non-topical mosquito repellents. Always check the labels of these products for safe use recommendations.
Are there any other practical alternatives?
Topical insect repellents are safe and effective. Most can be used on children from 12 months of age and pose no health risks. Make sure you apply the repellent as a thin even coat on all exposed areas of skin.
But you don鈥檛 need 鈥渢ropical strength鈥� repellents for short periods of time outdoors; a range of formulations with lower concentrations of repellent will work well for shorter trips outdoors. There are some repellents that don鈥檛 smell as strong (for example, children鈥檚 formulations, odourless formulations) or formulations that may be more pleasant to use (for example, pump pack sprays).
Finally, you can always cover up. Loose-fitting long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and covered shoes will provide a physical barrier between you and mosquitoes on the hunt for your or your family鈥檚 blood this summer.
This article was original published on The Conversation as:聽. It was written by from the Insitute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research.