Mosquitoes suck, and new UF research may soon produce several improved repellents to keep the pests away more than twice as long as the industry's leading repellent, DEET.
The research, conducted by UF's chemistry department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, began in 2004 to combat mosquito�"borne illnesses that affect American troops abroad, said Ulrich R. Bernier, a chemist at the USDA's mosquito and fly research unit and a UF professor.
The research was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense as part of the Deployed Warfighter Protection program.
DEET has been the go�"to repellent for more than 50 years, but the need for long�"lasting protection impelled the search for new repellents.
"The troops can't use them 48 times a day to try to keep protected," Bernier said.
The new repellents will first be available for military use, and civilians shouldn't expect them for four to five years, he said.
The research stems from a mosquito repellent database kept by the USDA since 1942.
The old repellents and possible new compounds were analyzed by UF's chemistry department.
The team will soon begin testing against other species of mosquitoes as well as determining the short�" and long�"term effects on humans, he said.
Bernier has tested many repellents over the past 12 years, but none compared with DEET, which lasts almost 18 days. Several of the new repellents lasted almost 40 days or longer at their highest concentrations.
"I couldn't believe it," Bernier said. "It was incredible to see this."
