Bugger Off, Bugs!

I’ve been telling everyone in my family about this science story, because I’m really excited about it.

There is a substance found in grapefruit that is toxic to insects but not to humans. It is called nootkatone and it breaks down quickly in the environment. The CDC has licensed their patents on nootkatone to a couple of companies in hopes that the companies can develop inexpensive insect repellents and insecticides using this substance.

This is music to my ears. I love walking in the woods, but the woods are crawling with unpleasant bugs. Step off the path for so much as a minute and you’re likely to get a deer tick on your pants. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot it and flick it off or kill it before it can bite you. If you’re not, you could end up with a tick sucking your blood, and later, Lyme disease.

Still, I refuse to cover myself in DEET. It’s poison, not just to bugs, but to everything. And when it comes to my children, if my only choices are DEET, the potential for Lyme disease, or keeping them away from the woods, I may well keep them out of the woods. It’s not a nice choice.

That’s why I was so happy to read this science story. I’m mentioning it here not only because I want to share the great news, but also because I want the CDC and the companies working with nootkatone to know that I would be willing to pay big bucks for a truly safe and reliable bug spray. My plea to them: even if you can’t make it really inexpensive, please make it anyway! You can even charge me extra to finance its use in places where people need it to prevent malaria but can’t afford it.

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