Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest creatures in existence. The females seem to be deadlier than the males. They cause a whole lot of diseases, and often the infection caused by their bites can result in death. In a quest to find a solution to this problem, developers have designed Apps known as mosquito repellent apps which they claim have the ability to scare away mosquitoes. This app works by using sound frequency technology. The phone software mimics the sounds of predators in order to repel biting females. The latest high technology weapon against mosquitoes doesn’t come in the form of sprays, coil, or chip.
Rather, it is a free app for smartphones.
How it works
In 2012, a radio station in Sao Paulo claimed that the high-frequency sound emitted, along with its regular music broadcast, had the ability to repel mosquitoes. Today, there are lots of free, and not-so-free, anti-mosquito apps in smartphones that claim to repel mosquitoes. Developers of these apps claim that the high-frequency sounds emitted from your device could scare mosquitoes away. The theory behind these anti-mosquito apps is that they emit ultrasound frequencies which are designed to scare mosquitoes away.
According to the developers, the pitch of the sound is so high that most humans do not even hear it. These anti-mosquito apps either mimic the sound of natural predators, such as dragonflies or use the sound made by the male mosquito wings to frighten and scare the pregnant female mosquitoes away.
Since different mosquito species within specific location vary and react differently to insect repellents, these apps operate with various frequencies in order to target the species found in a particular area. The pitch selector is used to find the optimal repelling frequency for the mosquito in your region.
No scientific evidence
There is no evidence to prove that the anti-mosquito apps could repel mosquitoes. According to a report from the American Mosquito Control Association, ultrasound devices do not have value as repellants. Experts have shown concern, warning that these apps are not effective. Wayne Crans, an associate research professor of Entomology at Rutgers added that mosquitoes are well known to leave areas hunted by dragonflies.
In addition, some researchers at Liverpool reported that female mosquitoes are actually the ones attracted by the female sound, not the other way round. In fact, the iTunes website for this app cautioned that the app does not guarantee 100% protection since there are more than 3,500 mosquito species in the world and their reactions to various repellents differ.
In conclusion, there isn’t yet any evidence that these mosquito repellent apps can protect you from mosquito bites for now, but maybe they will offer some entertainment if that's your bag.