Author: Daniel Eldridge, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, Swinburne University of Technology

It’s summertime, and for many of us that means plenty of time outside – and, unfortunately, mosquitoes. The combination of the increase in temperature and plenty of water is ideal for these blood-sucking insects to make their presence felt. In the best-case scenario, they are a pest, delivering a highly unpleasant sting. At the other end of the spectrum, they are vectors for diseases responsible for more human fatalities than any other animal on Earth. To keep them at bay, many of us will reach for the bottle of insect repellent or citronella candles in order to avoid the bite…