The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has discovered and developed a new active ingredient for insect repellents. The ingredient, nootkatone, was recently approved by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Not only does nootkatone repel and kill ticks, mosquitoes and a wide variety of other biting pests, but it also smells good.
Nootkatone is found in the skin of grapefruit, and it keeps that scent when added to repellents.
“CDC is proud to have led the research and development of nootkatone,” Jay C. Butler, deputy director for infectious diseases, said in a press release. “Providing new alternatives to existing bite-prevention methods paves the way to solving one of biggest challenges in preventing vector-borne diseases — preventing bites.”
Ben Beard, deputy director of the division of vector-borne diseases at the CDC, told the New York Times that nootkatone lasts longer than other natural repellents and as long as synthetic ones.
Karla M. Addesso, associate professor at Tennessee State University, told Health: “In some insects tested, areas treated with nootkatone were avoided prior to contact. This suggests that they can smell the nootkatone, and that they don’t like the smell. Other insects may need to contact the compound in order to detect it, and they may be repelled by the taste.”
Mosquito- and tickborne diseases are a growing threat in every U.S. state and territory, the CDC said. “The number of reported cases of mosquito- and tickborne diseases doubled from 2004 to 2018. Tickborne diseases represent almost 8 in 10 of all reported vector-borne disease cases in the U.S.”
Georgia’s mosquito season is March through October, so using a natural, nontoxic repellent will come as good news for many. The bad news is that products containing nootkatone likely won’t be available until 2022.
In the meantime, here are some ways to prevent mosquito bites:
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