Scientists Building Better Bug Spray

Pepper compounds keep mosquitoes away 3 times longer than top dog DEET
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted May 27, 2008 3:20 PM CDT
Scientists Building Better Bug Spray
A worker sprays anti-mosquito fog in a neighborhood of Jakarta, Indonesia Monday, March 10, 2008.   (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Researchers have found bug repellents that keep mosquitoes from biting for up to 73 days, WebMD reports. Compounds found in pepper kept bugs away nearly three times as long as industry leader DEET, which manages just 17.5 days under the same conditions—though a normal human would sweat or wash away the spray in that length of time. (More insects stories.)

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