DEET discussion from been busy diving thread

[rddvet]

Heh. I’m one of those people that gets nice welts from skeeter bites. MX should be fun.

Used mosquito coils from the mexican grocery again yesterday at Taj Maha before we flew home and didn't get a single bite. They stayed away form us in the gear up area, but did swarm our heads while floating in the cenote since we didn't bring a coil to the water. But with hoods on they don't bug you.
Taj Maha is a very popular training cave. It's also what I think is one of the most underrated caves in mexico. But it is known for its huge mosquitoes, especially the tiger mosquitos that tend to spread more diseases. I would not go there without a coil anymore. The locals actually appreciate you bringing them. I always ask any divers gearing up near me if they are ok with it, as some people cant handle the smell.

 

[tridacna]

Did you read your own link?



So yes, DEET repels mosquitoes, full stop. It doesn't need to be applied to human skin to activate its magic. It may work better on skin; that's still being researched, and nothing you or I posted proves that conclusively. It seems there are a number of factors that affect mosquito behavior, and DEET may work in more than one way. But it's pretty clear that the behavior you derided--applying it to clothing-- has at least some effect. Since mosquitoes can bite through many types of clothing, and since the advice not to apply DEET under clothes is easily Google-able, spraying it on your clothes may in fact be the best way to go in certain circumstances.

I'm not really hoping to convince you at this point, but I'd hate for someone reading your posts to make a poor decision. In the US, mosquito bites are usually just an annoyance, but when traveling to other parts of the world, as the OP and perhaps others following along are planning to do, the consequences can be much more serious.

I’m from Southern Africa. Travelled extensively in Malawi, Zambia and the rest of the malarial maelstrom down there. Seen a few dangerous mosquitoes in my time. Whether you get bitten is a combo of effectively applying DEET and lucky genes. Some people get ignored. I’m not one of those. You just keep spraying DEET on your wetsuit and hat. Fine by me.

 

[Esprise Me]

You just keep spraying DEET on your wetsuit and hat.

Sigh. Again, not trying to convince you, but for the benefit of anyone reading along, no, I do not endorse spraying DEET on your wetsuit or any other piece of dive gear. As mentioned upthread, it can dissolve many materials, including watch crystals, plastics, and synthetic fabrics such as those that might line your wetsuit. Also, the owners of the cenotes try to keep that stuff out of their water, along with sunscreen and other stuff people slather themselves with. At Dos Ojos, they have showers they ask you to use to rinse yourself off before you get in, but not all cenotes have them. So spraying your clothes, which you will then remove before you gear up and get in the water, is a way to get at least some mosquito protection without polluting the water.

 

[tridacna]

Sigh. Again, not trying to convince you, but for the benefit of anyone reading along, no, I do not endorse spraying DEET on your wetsuit or any other piece of dive gear. As mentioned upthread, it can dissolve many materials, including watch crystals, plastics, and synthetic fabrics such as those that might line your wetsuit. Also, the owners of the cenotes try to keep that stuff out of their water, along with sunscreen and other stuff people slather themselves with. At Dos Ojos, they have showers they ask you to use to rinse yourself off before you get in, but not all cenotes have them. So spraying your clothes, which you will then remove before you gear up and get in the water, is a way to get at least some mosquito protection without polluting the water.

Sigh. We’ll agree that DEET is the best solution. Preferably applied to where you don’t want to be bitten. As long as you apply to skin, I don’t care where else you spray it.

This a fun video about genes and likelihood of being bitten. Worth a watch.

 

[Saltwater_Parrot]

I had to do a meta analysis of nepetalactone and to a lesser extent DEET efficacy for Anopheles and Aedes mosquitos for a medical entomology class, and as far as I know, the currently accepted proposed mechanism of action is that DEET inhibits certain chemoreceptors on the mosquito's antennae and possibly other locations like the legs. The inhibition is happening on the mosquito, not the host, so spraying on skin vs clothing shouldn't make any difference, unless there's been some recent advances in our understanding of this mechanism that I'm unaware of.

There was, however, a study done that claimed that DEET interacts with certain chemicals released from the skin (as mentioned here), but as far as I remember, that study was largely refuted within the community.

This is a good meta analysis and overview of the topic (PDF):

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj92_rv-t_4AhUYRDABHb0uCpUQFnoECCAQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.dtic.mil%2Fsti%2Fpdfs%2FADA578685.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3gN5rBjbYQUI3dc-FqwcPC

And more:

Lactic acid-sensitive receptors on the antennae of the mosquito,Aedes aegypti - Journal of Comparative Physiology A

1. A pair of chemoreceptor neurons sensitive to lactic acid (LA) was identified in the grooved-peg (A3) sensilla on the antennae of the mosquito,Aedes aegypti. 2. One chemoreceptor responded to LA with an increase in spike frequency, whereas the other chemoreceptor exhibited a decrease in spike...

link.springer.com

Model for the Mechanism of Action of the Repellent Deet1 on Aedes Aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)2

Abstract. A model is proposed to suggest that the mechanism of action of DEET on the mosquito Aedes aegypti is through interaction of the repellent molecules wi

academic.oup.com

 

[Doby45]

Good Lord, can the crap ton of DEET posts be moved to a DEET discussion?

 

[Marie13]

Yeah, good idea. Gotten a little weird.

Just requested that.

 

[Saltwater_Parrot]

Yeah, good idea. Gotten a little weird.

Just requested that.

Sorry, didnt mean to derail the thread!

 

[Marie13]

Sorry, didnt mean to derail the thread!

Other people did that!