Testing Tiktok’s most viral anti -manners seemed like a good idea. Until I did

I am one of those people who, if there are twenty people with me and a single mosquito, will chop me. They worship me, what am I going to do? I actually try to do everything I can, because in addition to the standard itch, it makes me reaction and the bites are put ON FIRE. The Tiktok algorithm must know, because they often appear to me trick videos to prevent mosquitoes from picing you, All homemade, super simple and, according to their creators, infallible. Without too much faith, I chose the three that seemed more interesting and I prepared to try them. Everything is for science.

Why mosquitoes bite us

First of all a little science. The main reason why a mosquito chooses a dam to chop it is the blood group. It has been proven that people with type 0 blood have More lactic acid in the skin And this attracts mosquitoes more. But this is not the only factor, so is Carbon dioxide What do we emit. Mosquito females, which are the ones that bite, can smell the CO2 60 meters away. If our body temperature is also higher, for example by making an effort, we are the perfect target.

Tiktok to the rescue

During the summer, in my bag you can not miss the repellent spray, it is the only thing that works for me, but of course, it is not the most pleasant in the world because it smells very strong and leaves your skin as sticky. Over the years I have tried all kinds of things Like citronela candles, smoke spirals, repellent bracelets (luck if someone pretends not to pique a mosquito carrying one of these) and I have even planted citronela at home. Let’s see if Tiktok experts save me from this cross.

Trick 1: Simple and with surprise

He First trick I tried is the simplest. You just have to put half a liter of cleaning vinegar in a glass boat and add a lemon cut into slices. It smells a bit strong, but it doesn’t smell bad and it is quite decorative. I put it in the kitchen, which is where more flies and mosquitoes usually enter because the window is usually open and I waited.

A few days later I had my verdict in the form of three new bites. It does not seem to have a lot of the mosquitoes, but to my surprise it had an unexpected benefit: I barely saw flies. In the video they say that it is effective against flies and mosquitoes, but my perception is that, to work, it only works for the first. Nor does it look like a very durable method and after a few days it smelled. It would be necessary to renew it to maintain the effect.

Trick 2: The spiritual

In This video We receive a soft voice that promises that the trick will end with flies, mosquitoes, mosquitoes and cockroaches. A complete. The method consists of taking a glass bowl and putting coffee poses, half a cup of flavoring, clove and a wick of a candle. Must burn for an hour And our expert ensures that we will never see an insect again.

In the explanation of the recipe I already began to lose faith because it does not even explain what that of the aromatizing is, so I had to skip that step. The truth is that I cannot say whether or not it is effective because I did not get the fuse to burn more than 1 minute in a row. I tried several wicks and nothing, when I arrived at the coffee he went out (and that was dry). From what I have read in the comments, the same thing happened to many more people. Of course, it smelled very well.

Trick 3: The scientist

He said that one of the reasons why mosquitoes are biting us is because of the CO2 that we emit and is precisely the basis of this trick. In the video it explains us How to build A carbon dioxide trap With water, sugar, yeast and a cut plastic bottle. The result is quite horrible from the decorative point of view, but it also smells weird. I gave him a vote of trust because it is the method that had the most scientific basis.

If I have to summarize the result in a word, it would undoubtedly fail. In the time I had the trap placed Not only did they chop me mosquitoes, it was not even one. In the comments of the video there are people who had similar results and also point something striking: at no time in the video teaches us the mosquitoes that have fallen into the trap (for whatever). I threw it three days.

What does work and is endorsed by science

I didn’t have much faith and my suspicions have been confirmed. None of the three methods have freed me from mosquito bites, but there are remedies that free us with a much higher success rate, mainly the Industrial repellent with Icaridin and Deet As an active substance.

The DEET is the most common ingredient in the repellent spray. With a 20%concentration, it is effective in protecting us for 5 hours. The bad thing is that It has greater toxicity. He IR3535 It is a bit softer and equally effective against some mosquito species, although it would not be so much against others that transport dangerous diseases.

There are also natural alternatives such as Essential oils of mint, basil or citronella that are much more respectful of the skin, the problem is that the softer, less effectiveness. Putting chemical substances on my skin is not excited, but they are the only thing that I am not going to end up bitter by itching. In addition, we must not forget that Mosquitoes are considered the deadliest animal that exists given that It can transmit serious diseases such as malaria or dengue. Until they invent some trick that is effective, I will continue to carry the chemical repellent in the bag.

Cover image | Pexels

Images | Amparo Babyloni, Xataka

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