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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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Scientists Building Better Bug Spray

Pepper compounds keep mosquitoes away 3 times longer than top dog DEET

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(Newser) – 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.

A worker sprays anti-mosquito fog in a neighborhood of Jakarta, Indonesia Monday, March 10, 2008.
A worker sprays anti-mosquito fog in a neighborhood of Jakarta, Indonesia Monday, March 10, 2008.   (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
A soldier looks at larvae of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, that spreads the yellow fever virus, during training to help prevent the disease in Brasilia, Friday, Jan. 18, 2008.
A soldier looks at larvae of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, that spreads the yellow fever virus, during training to help prevent the disease in Brasilia, Friday, Jan. 18, 2008.   (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
A common mosquito enjoys a meal.
A common mosquito enjoys a meal.   (Wikimedia Commons)
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