[Sugar-devel] [IAEP] Turn your frequency generator into a super powerful mosquito repeller

[Caryl Bigenho]

Hi Sean and all...
Yes, I have been experimenting quite a bit with this.  I have used several apps on my iPod touch for this.  We are having the worst mosquito year I can remember because of all the flooding here along the Yellowstone River, so I have lots of chance to experiment.  
I tried generating the frequency they said was that of a dragonfly which it was claimed would scare the mosquitos away.  Didn't do a thing!
I have also tried a little app that generates the frequency of the male mosquitos ("NoMosquitos" ... free at the app store). The theory is that only the females who have already mated will be interested in biting and that they don't want to have anything to do with the males any more.  I would say it is very slightly effective.  If Ms Mosquito already has your scent and is diving in for her dinner, it doesn't do much. However, the number of hovering mosquitos is definitely diminished, but not eliminated.  
Today I also tried the new "Off" mosquito repellant device that has a tiny fan that dispenses a repellant around you.  It is great if you are sitting still, but not so much if you move around... like when working in the yard.  Interestingly, the little fan produces a sound similar to the male mosquito sound on the iPod... just a bit lower pitch.  I wonder if it helps in the process???
So far the best thing I have found (if you don't want to wear deet) is to wear thick clothing they can't sting through (sweats work) and add a hat with a mosquito net veil.
So.... my verdict, so far, is.... there seems to be a possibility of reducing the number of mosquitos in an area with the right frequency but it will not eliminate them entirely. You will probably still be bitten.  Go for the nets! Low-tech, but a lot more effective!
Caryl

Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2011 08:45:24 +1200
Subject: Re: [IAEP] [Sugar-devel] Turn your frequency generator into a super powerful mosquito repeller
From: sean at lpnz.org
To: cbigenho at hotmail.com
CC: quozl at laptop.org; olpc-oceania at lists.laptop.org; iaep at lists.sugarlabs.org; sugar-devel at lists.sugarlabs.org; develop at worldclassproject.org.uk

Hi Caryl, 

Just curious to know if you tried any experiments with your computers and insect problem. I note that some antenna are useful at fractions of the wave length too, like 1/2 or 1/4 so there is a broader spectrum that could be experimented with there.  


Sean 

On 8 July 2011 18:08, Caryl Bigenho <cbigenho at hotmail.com> wrote:






Hi....
Let's put this to a test!

With all the flooding we are having in Montana this summer the clouds of mosquitos are really fierce! Our family is visiting with their PCs and I have a Mac.  We can try this in the next couple of days and see if it really works. It says it can be barely audible. I was curious to see how low these notes would be and found this interesting chart (link below). Many of the instruments listed are no longer in daily use and exist mainly in museums, but some, such as the bass viol and bassoon are very common. In fact, my husband has his bassoon here with him in Montana!  But, I don't think he wants to play a continuous low note... he has better things to do! We can find an appropriate tone generator for our test.

http://www.contrabass.com/pages/frequency.html

Caryl


> Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2011 15:34:30 +1000
> From: quozl at laptop.org
> To: sean at lpnz.org
> CC: olpc-oceania at lists.laptop.org; iaep at lists.sugarlabs.org; sugar-devel at lists.sugarlabs.org; develop at worldclassproject.org.uk

> Subject: Re: [IAEP] [Sugar-devel] Turn your frequency generator into a super powerful mosquito repeller
> 
> The speakers don't work very well at the frequency range specified by

> that article for mosquito repelling; 45 Hz to 67 Hz.
> 
> The article fails to mention how much sound is needed; e.g. in dBm.  It
> gives a subjective measure only.
> 
> Other articles on the site mention secrets of ancient geometry and

> crystal harmonizers.  This really doesn't impress me.  Is there any
> evidence base for repelling mosquitos using low frequency sound?  Is
> there any evidence that enough of the population of mosquitos is

> repelled?  All it takes is for one strain to not be repelled and it will
> breed up.
> 
> -- 
> James Cameron
> http://quozl.linux.org.au/

> _______________________________________________
> IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!)
> IAEP at lists.sugarlabs.org

> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep
 		 	   		  

 		 	   		  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.sugarlabs.org/archive/sugar-devel/attachments/20110720/2bbc4e6b/attachment.html>