A great idea to ward off Mosquitoes!

[AtomicDog]

It is well known that the varmints are attracted by the carbon dioxide in one's breath.

Well, why not rig up a mask fitted with lithium hydroxide scrubbers like those used by the astronauts in space capsules and the shuttle? The mask removes the CO2, mosquitoes have nothing to home in on, no bites!

Did I just give away a million dollar idea? On the other hand, surely someone must have thought of this before?

[Munch]

What're you going outside for?!? It seems your computer works just fine...

[PerfectDark]

There are many other ways of solving this problem..

1) Create a genetically flawd mosquito where the defect occurs in the 12th generation and as a result they die. Release this into the wild to breed. Buy up property in the swamps.

2) Stop breathing (fix the CO2 problem)

3) Use a high frequency emmitter than disrupts the mosquitos normal hearing or vibrational sensors that help it with location detection.

4) Move to a Cold place like Antartica.

5) Find a natural predator of the Mosquito that isn't as annoying and can breed like crazy. If there is none then invent one using genetic engineering.

6) Genetically modify yourself (see my other thread about changing your celluar structure) to escreet some sort of poison through your skin that kills mosquitos.


PerfectDark

[mozchron]

Sorry, this idea is already out there. I am getting my PhD in medical entomology, and we use carbon dioxide-baited traps all the time to catch host-seeking females.

MM

[Lowellster]

Originally posted by PerfectDark
5) Find a natural predator of the Mosquito that isn't as annoying and can breed like crazy. If there is none then invent one using genetic engineering.

I believe that you have just perfectly described the common bat. Although I suppose the less annoying attribute could be debatable to some.

[eirroc]

originally posted by Munch
What're you going outside for?!? It seems your computer works just fine...

I'm confused to Munch what's a mosquito?

[justwannano]

You could eat a lot of garlic.
Mosquitos don't like garlic.
Of course then nobody would like you either.
But then we're just trying to ward off mosquitos .Right?????

[tisiphone]

Originally posted by PerfectDark

<snip>

4) Move to a Cold place like Antartica.
<snip>

PerfectDark

Doesn't work. As a resident of the just barely sub-Arctic, trust me there's a reason all the birds fly north to breed.

Mosquitos the size of tour buses in swarms that darken the sky. Perfect bird food.

All kidding aside, people have been known to die up here during blackfly/mosquito season. If you are completely unprotected (ie, non-DEET based repellents, uncovered skin), it is possible to get so many bites one goes into anaphylactic shock.

(Well, OK, it hasn't happened since oh, 1920 or so.)

Last thing I heard on the mosquito control program was that they were using some sort of fungal/bacterial parasite spray that in theory would keep a substantial number of the eggs and/or larvae from developing into the adult form. However, we can only do this within town/city limits. The birds and the bats gotta eat too...

[Smeghead]

Originally posted by PerfectDark
1) Create a genetically flawd mosquito where the defect occurs in the 12th generation and as a result they die. Release this into the wild to breed. Buy up property in the swamps.

It's been tried. Sterile males were created to be released into malaria-plagued areas of the world, so that they would mate with the females, preventing them from mating with fertile males. Unfortunately, the locals freaked out. The rumor started that the mosquitos were actually designed to make people sterile. There was so much opposition that the scientists gave up, and, presumably, people died from malaria that would have been saved.

The moral of the story: Fighting ignorance is a good thing.

Eat bananas.

[bibliophage]

Originally posted by AtomicDog
It is well known that the varmints are attracted by the carbon dioxide in one's breath.

Well, why not rig up a mask fitted with lithium hydroxide scrubbers like those used by the astronauts in space capsules and the shuttle? The mask removes the CO2, mosquitoes have nothing to home in on, no bites!

Well, CO₂ is also given off through the skin, and a mask won't stop that. Furthermore, mosquitoes are also attracted by the lactic acid in the skin, and possibly other chemicals as well.

[dwyr]

Originally posted by justwannano
You could eat a lot of garlic.
Mosquitos don't like garlic.
Of course then nobody would like you either.
But then we're just trying to ward off mosquitos .Right?????

Feh. I eat a bunch of garlic and the suckers go after me like a five course banquet. And I'm allergic to 'em.

On the other hand, I do live alone. Hmmm.... guess garlic repels the wrong creatures. Sigh.

[GingerOfTheNorth]

[quote]Originally posted by tisiphone

<snip>
All kidding aside, people have been known to die up here during blackfly/mosquito season. If you are completely unprotected (ie, non-DEET based repellents, uncovered skin), it is possible to get so many bites one goes into anaphylactic shock.

(Well, OK, it hasn't happened since oh, 1920 or so.)
<snip>[/QUOTE}

Happened in Yellowknife to my sister's girl in 1992. She was five years old when they first moved there, and she'd never been exposed to blackflies before.

I shoulda stayed up north. The skeeters there didn't bother me. The ones in the mountains do, but I've only had one bite so far.

I eat lots of oranges. Apparently that does it.

Ginger