第1908期:How to stop mosquito bites

Summer is a great time of year – but, unfortunately, it's not just us humans that enjoy it. Mosquitos seem to make the most out of the season by biting us, and as well as being annoying, mosquito-borne diseases can be dangerous. What can we do to avoid getting bitten?

夏天是一年中的美好时光，但不幸的是，享受夏天的不仅仅是我们人类。蚊子似乎通过叮咬我们来充分利用这个季节，蚊子传播的疾病不仅令人烦恼，而且可能很危险。我们应该怎样做才能避免被咬呢？

The most obvious answer is to use mosquito repellent. Professor James Logan from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine explains that DEET, the chemical used in many repellents, confuses the insects' sense of smell, making it difficult to recognise humans. Though be careful – as biologist Roger Eritja points out – any bits of skin that aren't covered by repellent are still likely to get bitten. Logan also recommends using plug-in insecticides to kill or repel mosquitos in the room. However, it might be best to avoid using electric bug zappers. Daniel Markowski from the American Mosquito Control Association highlights that mosquitos are only a small proportion of the number of insects they kill, and that many of the others are beneficial.

最明显的答案是使用驱蚊剂。伦敦卫生与热带医学学院的詹姆斯·洛根教授解释说，许多驱虫剂中使用的化学物质避蚊胺会混淆昆虫的嗅觉，使其难以识别人类。尽管要小心——正如生物学家罗杰·埃里特加（Roger Eritja）指出的那样——任何没有被驱虫剂覆盖的皮肤仍然可能被咬。洛根还建议使用插入式杀虫剂来杀死或驱除房间内的蚊子。然而，最好避免使用电动灭虫器。美国蚊子控制协会的丹尼尔·马科夫斯基强调，蚊子只占其杀死的昆虫数量的一小部分，而其他许多昆虫都是有益的。

Clothing is another consideration that affects whether mosquitos choose to attack us. Amy Glover, writing in the Huffington Post, tells us that dark colours attract mosquitos. James Logan adds that loose clothing is preferable as it is harder for mosquitos to bite through – they're even able to penetrate jeans if they are worn tightly.

服装是影响蚊子是否选择攻击我们的另一个考虑因素。艾米·格洛弗（Amy Glover）在《赫芬顿邮报》上撰文告诉我们，深色会吸引蚊子。詹姆斯·洛根补充说，宽松的衣服更好，因为蚊子更难咬穿——如果牛仔裤穿得很紧，它们甚至可以穿透牛仔裤。

Light, loose clothing also means people sweat less. A 2019 study showed that mosquitos are able to use the smell of human sweat to find their victims. This is why Homes editor Katie Mortram recommends taking a shower before bed to avoid getting bitten. Another way to stop the smell of your sweat attracting mosquitos is to use deodorant to disguise the smell of your sweat. Masie Vollans – a researcher into mosquito ecology, points out that a compound found in deodorants has been shown to stop mosquitos landing on the skin.

轻便、宽松的衣服也意味着人们出汗较少。2019 年的一项研究表明，蚊子能够利用人类汗液的气味来寻找受害者。这就是为什么《Homes》编辑凯蒂·莫特拉姆（Katie Mortram）建议睡前洗澡以避免被咬。另一种阻止汗味吸引蚊子的方法是使用除臭剂来掩盖汗味。蚊子生态学研究员 Masie Vollans 指出，除臭剂中的一种化合物已被证明可以阻止蚊子落在皮肤上。

What we eat and drink may also have an impact on how attractive we are to mosquitos. Vollans mentions two studies that found drinking beer and eating bananas can make people more attractive to mosquitos. So, as well as using repellents and insecticides, thinking about our clothing, reducing our sweat and changing what we eat and drink could help to reduce the risk of mosquito bites.

我们吃什么和喝什么也可能会影响我们对蚊子的吸引力。沃伦斯提到两项研究发现，喝啤酒和吃香蕉可以让人对蚊子更有吸引力。因此，除了使用驱虫剂和杀虫剂之外，考虑一下我们的衣服、减少出汗和改变饮食习惯也有助于降低蚊虫叮咬的风险。

词汇表

bite 叮，咬
mosquito-borne disease 由蚊子传播的疾病
mosquito repellent 驱蚊剂
tropical medicine 热带医学
DEET 避蚊胺（常见防蚊液成分）
insect 昆虫
skin 皮肤
insecticide 杀虫剂
bug zapper 灭虫灯
attack 攻击
attract 吸引
penetrate 穿过，穿透
sweat 出汗，流汗
victim 牺牲品
deodorant 体味除臭剂
land on 落在，停在