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An adult mosquito only lives about a month old. But during this short time, it annoys many people, buzzing and sharp, making the end of the day and night a test – and, in the case of mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Anopheles, transmitting serious diseases such as dengue, zika, chikungunya, yellow fever and malaria. To combat them, people's interest in homemade repellents increases, which does not harm the environment.
What are its advantages and disadvantages? And what are its limits?
According to the experts heard by BBC News Brazil it is always necessary to keep in mind that industrialized products are more effective in the fight against mosquito – borne diseases.
"There are several natural substances with repellent properties against insects," says dermatologist Vidal Haddad Junior, Botucatu School of Medicine, Paulista State University (Unesp), specialist in venomous animals and laboratory test mosquito repellent .
He cites, for example, lemongrbad, andiroba, garlic and vitamins of the B complex.
"All grow back, to a greater or lesser degree", explains Haddad. "The problem – and it must be very clear – is how much they are pushing back.It's about eliminating the common mosquitoes of the genus Culex, that gives you a rest time (without mosquitoes Aedes, anopheles. "That is to say, for Haddad, domestic repellents even eliminate mosquitoes, but because of the danger posed by disease transmitters, it is recommended to protect oneself with reliable industrial products.
… But it is better not to risk and use more efficient and industrialized protection products – Photo: LM Otero / Archivo / AP Photo
Therefore, according to him, the question does not matter. is not to know whether to distance oneself or not, but with what efficiency, in areas at risk of disease. "And you have to consider that there is no comparison between domestic and industrial repellents, which are much more efficient," he warns. "I do not advise against using the first, but the user must know their limits and consider where they are and their risks."
This means that in terms of risk, do not rely on homemade products.
Preventive Home Remedies Against Mosquitoes
Certain domestic herbs, such as jasmine, rue, rosemary and basil, are used to repel mosquitoes because of their strong, penetrating odor. It is important to note, however, that this popular wisdom has no scientific proof.
At the same time, we must not forget that one of the best solutions is to kill mosquitoes at birth, even when they are larvae, preventing them from reaching the mosquito. adulthood when they become really dangerous, disease transmitters.
The female of these insects lays about 300 eggs near the surface of the water, fixed to the wall of the vessels, and in about 36 hours they appear to the larvae. They turn into pupae after 5 to 10 days, then in 2 days, in individual flight. From the egg to the end of his life, Aedes, for example, needs about a month and a half.
Everyone knows it: avoid the accumulation of clean, flat water in glbad or PET bottles, old tires, barrels and deposits, potted plants and toilet in the bathrooms. external tray of refrigerators, dumpsters, facilities that can accumulate liquids, drains and gutters and clogged slabs and other uneven surfaces.
Even in this case, if there is still accumulated water, there are home remedies to prevent the birth of mosquitoes. According to a guide developed by researchers at the Regional Bioprospecting Resources Laboratory of the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), ground coffee and sanitary water (sodium hypochlorite) can be used for this purpose.
In the first case, two tablespoons of ground coffee are required for one liter of water. In the case of bleach, we use 40 drops (about a tablespoon).
"These two mixtures should be used in places where it is possible to accumulate liquids, such as plants (mainly bromeliads) and pots, because they are not damaged," explains the pharmacist and biochemist Ana de Fátima Fontenele Urano Carvalho, Department of Biology. UFC, who helped write the book. "However, these solutions can not be used in water intended for human consumption, such as boxes or filters."
She claims that the UFC research team has also discovered that extracts of some herbs might be useful for fighting mosquito larvae of dengue fever. These species have an effect called larvicide because they kill the larvae before they become adults. Among them are brackish watercress ( Acmella uliginosa ), alfavaca ( Ocimum basilicum ), the sacred herb ( Cymbopogon citratus ), lemongrbad () Melon officinalis ), mint ( Mentha spicata ), mastruço or mastruz ( Coronopus didymus ) and lemon).
In the same book, researchers give recipes for teas and extracts of these plants. For teas: every three cups of tea leaves, add one liter of water to the boil for 15 minutes. To extract the extract, mash three cups of leaves, add a quart of water and soak overnight, stirring the mixture as much as possible.
"These products should be placed in places where mosquitoes usually lay their eggs, such as plants (mainly bromeliads) and vases, old tires and empty bottles, for example," says Ana de Fátima.
"But it is important to remember that these recipes can not be used in water intended for human consumption, such as water tanks or filters."
Biologist and Ph.D. in Parasitology Newton Goulart Madeira, from the Institute of Biosciences at the Botucatu Campus in Unesp, reinforces the care that must be given to home control of mosquitoes that can transmit diseases.
"Recipes without scientific tests of effectiveness can compromise the health of thousands of people, so I mistrust them," he says. "The most effective thing is that people control breeding areas at home and that the public power monitors insect rates and controls them when they are high."
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