News Chemistry

Bug be gone

A computer "brain" finds long-lasting repellents

By Patrick Barry

- More than 2 years ago

New chemicals make mosquitoes bug off for at least three times longer than current insect repellents, researchers report.

SHOO FLY The common insect repellent DEET protects one arm from mosquitoes. In tests with the new compounds, volunteers wore gloves instead of applying the chemicals directly to their skin. Gary Clark, USDA

In addition to lasting longer, these new chemicals don’t have the unpleasant smell or stickiness of the most common mosquito repellent, a compound called DEET.