How to choose your bug spray this summer

The rainy season also means bloodsucking mosquito season.

Mosquitoes are everywhere. And their buzz sends shivers down Ana Aganmwonyi’s spine.

“I don’t know about the different species and the diseases and stuff that they can carry from other places and I prefer just to protect them from it, “Aganmwony said.

FGCU entomologist Joyce Fassbender said the best way to protect yourself from those annoying little monsters, the itchy lumps and diseases they can leave behind, is a good repellant.

“Every time I go out in the field, I wear bug repellent,” Fassbender. “They confuse the sensory systems of the mosquitoes and makes them unable to detect the heat or the carbon dioxide that they need in order to find you and eat you for dinner.”

There are a number of different bug sprays out there.

Fassbender recommends looking for some key ingredients. For more natural alternatives, oil of lemon, eucalyptus or ole.

“You have to reapply more often. And it’s really not safe for children under the age of three,” Fassbender said.

Deet has been used for decades.

“It’s been approved by the FDA and the EPA for use on children as young as the age of two months as well as adults, pregnant women, lactating women,” Fassbender said. “Up to 30 to 40% concentrations that can be effective for five to six hours.”

No matter which repellant you choose, only spray it on exposed areas not under your clothes.

Fassbender said that can make you sweat more and irritate your skin.

To find the bug repellant that is right for your, visit the EPA’s website.