Mosquito repellent cellphones anyone?

I hate mosquitoes. My adverse feelings have nothing to do with the various diseases they carry, I just hate that annoying buzzing sound they make when they fly around.

Of course being bitten by a mosquito has certainly gotten more deadly lately as news reports have confirmed several cases of of the Chikungunya virus which is spread by the by the Aedes aegypti mosquito

So how can consumers protect themselves?

Well you have heard about using the sprays and other mosquito repellents I am sure but what about using a phone application that repels mosquitoes?

That might sound as if that is science fiction, but here is what I found out about the phone application.

One application found on the Amazon website (for free), claims to imitate the sound made by a male mosquito calling for a mate, which will keep biting females away because according to the website “once a female mosquito has her eggs fertilized she will actively avoid any further contact with the male.”

It sounds logical after all only female mosquitoes actually bite humans not the male so they are the ones we want to repel.

Unfortunately, there is no real proof that female mosquitoes will not be attracted by the sound of male mosquitoes and not bite humans in that area.

What about the applications that claim to emit an ultrasonic frequency that only mosquitoes can hear that they hate so they avoid the area.

That claim is also not easily proved and researchers are undecided as there are a variety of reasons why mosquitoes choose their victims such as the persons unique scent or if they are prone to excessive sweating.

Are these mosquito repellent apps effective?

There are a lot of things we still don’t know about how effective these applications really are in repelling mosquitoes.

Therefore, I would not throw away your mosquito repellent spray for this just yet. One brand of the mosquito repellent sprays costs only $300.00 which is very affordable.

Make sure you also clear up any mosquito breeding sites at your home or office so we can continue to protect ourselves!

So what’s your take on the issue? Drop me a line!

Teri Ann Renee Paisley

Gleaner online Writer