Mosquitos & Bug Spray
Mosquitoes and Humans. Two things that do not mix well in this world. However, our paths seem to cross quite often. We find Mosquitoes as a nuisance and to keep that nuisance away we have the help of bug spray to keep them away from biting us. Some may have doubts on whether bug spray is safe for us humans but, through research we find that it has been safe since the early 1940s.
Featured Insect
Mosquitoes, that annoying insect that bugs you when you are outside just trying to relax with your friends and family. An insect that is responsible for one of the deadliest diseases in the world. The taxonomy of a Mosquito is the family Culicidae, order Diptera, class Hexapoda, and phylum Arthropoda. The scientific name of a Mosquito is Culex tarsalis. There are four stages in which a Mosquito lives its life: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The first stage, eggs are laid in bunches in still water that take about 21 days to hatch. Once hatched, comes the second stage of life, larva. The larva will then feed on microorganisms that are in the water they hatched from until they have moted three times, turning them into a pupa. This is the third stage of a Mosquito’s life. In this stage of its life the pupa will continue to live in the water but no longer feed, instead living in its pupal case at least two days but, sometimes up to a week. Once this stage is complete the mosquito will emerge from the pupal case and live out the rest of its life as an adult. The fourth and final stage of the life of a Mosquito will only last about 2 to 3 weeks, with many mosquitoes staying close to their breeding sites, and not venturing too far away.
Adult mosquitoes will have a habitat that is close to a breeding site or near standing water. This can be anything from toys, pots, and cans to plugged rain gutters and trash dumps; standing water is where mosquitoes thrive. A lot of homeowners and property owners end up just dealing with mosquitoes and just use bug spray and other options to limit the amount of biting that is done but, they don’t understand that they can prevent mosquitoes by just checking around their property.
Critical Issue
Mosquitos, we know them as the annoying little insect that always seems to bother us. However, to an entrepreneur in the field of business, mosquitos are a gateway to opening a business and becoming successful with that business. Due to mosquitos becoming a nuisance, it has opened doors of opportunity for new business ideas revolving around bug repellent. In the field of business, when someone sees something missing from the market like this, it creates an opportunity to fill it with either a new product or a better version of an existing product. When mosquitos become such a nuisance that individuals are tired of being bothered, someone will have to step up and do something about it.
Mosquitos are important for this business idea, due to the simple fact that without mosquitos, there would not be a reasonable explanation to have bug spray in our lives. This is why mosquitos are so important to bug spray companies. What is important to know is that mosquitoes carry a disease called Malaria, that can be transmitted to humans when they are bit by a mosquito. According to the CDC, it is important to take insect repellent with you when you travel to places that have Malaria.
When it comes to bug spray itself, there are not a lot of people that have opposing views that affect the bug spray industry. However, according to TIME Magazine in an interview, “some people are sensitive and may have a skin reaction.” (TIME 2018) With that being said, a lot of people are for having bug spray in their lives and if someone does not like it, then they simply do not use it when they go outside.
PennState Extension states that “insect repellents can provide some relief from mosquitoes. Repellents containing the active ingredient N,N-diethyl-metatoluamide, also known as DEET is effective in repelling mosquitoes.” (PennState Extension 2023) When individuals see an ingredient like N, N-diethyl-metatoluamide, they wonder if its safe. DEET has been used for over 40 years with a incredible safety record with its involvement in bug spray. “Laboratory testing has shown that DEET is absorbed through the skin, but one in the body, it is readily eliminated in the urine.” (PennState Extension 2023) This should clear up any safety concerns individuals would have about bug spray and its ingredients that are in it.
Insect-Human Connection
With bug spray growing into something that people are continuously using, there are new ways that bug repellent is being created for society to avoid the annoyance of mosquitoes. Entomologists have been a part in the help with these new bug repellents and it shows how the newest mosquito repellent looks to shut down biological pathways found in insects, but not in people or pets. The newest chemical introduced to mosquito repellent is AM 601Pod. According to the EPA, this “was pod containing dissolved transfluthrin, an insecticide active ingredient” (EPA 2023). With the help of entomologists, this chemical can repel mosquitoes away from humans. These three topics, entomology, technology, and society are all tied for the continuation of bug spray because without one, the others wouldn’t be able to carry the load of demand from the expansion of bug spray.
From a business standpoint, these new and evolving ways to have bug repellent in the household bring in new ways for existing companies to continue to make money. Unfortunately, society sees companies doing this and believes that these companies are just coming out with existing products, however, only a select few have the knowledgeable capabilities to understand the difference between each version. As a society, a lot of people do not see the importance of an entomologist. Entomologists are important to our society because they are a part of the contribution to betterment of humankind by helping detect what roles insects have in spread of disease, protection of food and crops, and livestock being harmed. Without entomologists, society wouldn’t be able to function without more and more diseases spread throughout it.
Field of Study
The field of Business is a broad field to be explored. With disciplines that include marketing, accounting, finance, and many others. One field that was not mentioned was management. This field is one where we see a lot of business owners and upper-level management involved in this field of study and, in smaller businesses, work closely with their employees to complete any orders or complete any service needed. In bigger organizations, management is going to be your upper-level supervisors and managers.
When we look at smaller businesses, it is noticeable to see the owner of that business start it because they are passionate about what they do. However, you also see business owners start a business because they see that something is missing in a certain industry or something missing from society. One thing that has been noticed and addressed in the past century that has been missing is bug spray. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the first modern synthetic insecticides were developed in the 1940s, to help combat insect-borne human diseases among both military and civilian populations (EPA 2023). Surprisingly, the bug spray wasn’t invented by an individual but, rather invented by the United States Army (EPA 2023).
Addtional Information
Studies have demonstrated that new technologies create repellents with “sublethal effects of spatial repellents on mosquitoes that have been exposed to these repellent vapors” (PMC 2023). New technologies and new business models are continuously evolving with these breakthroughs will continue over time with AI starting to become more popular as well. We see entomologists as a form of science, however, with other forms of science, there will be greater developments in science and technology with bug repellent coming to a point where no spray may be need and it could be incorporated into body soap or other everyday aspects.
Resources
Admin. (2020, November 5). Mosquito scientific name and other taxonomic information. BYJUS. https://byjus.com/biology/mosquito-scientific-name/#:~:text=Scientific%20Name%20of%20Mosquito,-Culicidae%20(Family)&text=The%20term%20%E2%80%9CCulicidae%E2%80%9D%20is%20derived,than%2020%20mm%20in%20size.
CDC. (2021, June 11). CDC - insect repellents help prevent malaria and other diseases spread by mosquitoes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/resources/repellents.html
EPA. (2023, July 6). EPA registers new mosquito repellent product | US EPA. EPA Registers New Mosquito Repellent Product. https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/epa-registers-new-mosquito-repellent-product
Heid, M. (2018, July 25). DEET is the most effective bug spray. but is it safe?. Time. https://time.com/5347546/is-deet-safe/
Mosquito Biology and control. Penn State Extension. (2016). https://extension.psu.edu/mosquito-biology-and-control
Mosquito life cycle. Northeast Massachusetts Mosquito Control and Wetlands Management District. (2023). https://www.nemassmosquito.org/mosquitos/pages/mosquito-life-cycle#:~:text=Adult%20%22Imago%22%20Stage%3A&text=Average%20adult%20lives%20from%202,is%20used%20for%20egg%20development
Norris, E. J., & Coats, J. R. (2017, January 29). Current and future repellent technologies: The potential of spatial repellents and their place in mosquito-borne disease control. International journal of environmental research and public health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5334678/