Common insect repellent now attracts mosquitoes — signaling a ‘blood meal’ for bugs: study
Recent research indicates that the common insect repellent Deet may actually attract mosquitoes instead of repelling them. This study suggests that mosquitoes can associate the scent of Deet with a food source, leading them to seek it out in future encounters. Experts emphasize the need to understand this behavior for future mosquito control strategies.
- ▪Deet has been shown to potentially attract mosquitoes due to their association with it as a food source.
- ▪In a study, 60% of mosquitoes that had previously fed while exposed to Deet attempted to bite again when exposed to just Deet.
- ▪Mosquitoes have demonstrated impressive learning abilities, which may affect their response to repellents like Deet.
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Wildlife Common insect repellent now attracts mosquitoes — signaling a ‘blood meal’ for bugs: study By Allison Lax Published May 29, 2026, 3:12 p.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The New York Post on Google Research now shows that mosquitoes may bite the hand that feeds them Deet — at least in time. The commonly used chemical — which is the gold standard ingredient approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to act as a mosquito repellent — has recently been shown to potentially attract the pesky insects, as they’ve come to associate the chemical with a fleshy meal.
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