Some grape-scented compounds repel mosquitoes
Molecules drive bugs away as well as DEET does
A newly discovered batch of safe bug repellents works just as well as DEET, scientists report October 2 in Nature. As an added bonus, these new bug dopes smell faintly of grapes.
In addition to finding the new bug-repelling compounds, the scientists also uncovered the elusive cells and proteins that let mosquitoes detect and avoid DEET. This knowledge “gives you another whole set of tools” in the search for new insect repellents, says neuroscientist Mark Stopfer of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.