Dr Laurence Kirton discovered the leech-repelling properties of Mozzi-Guard (Mosiguard) by chance.
“It’s funny how people fear leeches more than mosquitoes, even though mosquitoes are more dangerous than leeches. Mosquitoes can spread diseases, but not leeches,” said Dr Laurence Kirton, an entomologist at Forest Research Institute of Malaysia.
“I think it’s because of the amount of blood leeches can take in. Mosquitoes take only a little bit of our blood, but leeches can take almost 1cc (cubic centimetre) of it in one bite.What’s more, the bleeding continues after it’s gone.”
Having met his fair share of leeches on his trips into jungles and swamps in the course of his work, Kirton himself is no big fan of leeches. Therefore, it came as no surprise that he eventually did his own research on an insect repellent product, Mosi-Guard, which turned out to be a potent leech repellent as well.
“We suspected that it could be useful against leeches and so decided to test it,” said Kirton.
Once the British manufacturer Enviro-Solutions approved the research, Kirton and his team did oratory tests and field tests on the product and eventually proved that it does repel leeches.
“The chemical it is made of, an extract from eucalyptus, is an irritant to leeches,” explained Kirton.
Keeping leeches at bay is a hiking priority.
And best of all, the repellent is effective after six hours of application. Kirton said many other substances repel leeches but wear off too quickly to be effective.
Of course, besides this repellent, there are other ways to prevent the bloodsucker from crawling up your legs and sucking you dry. These methods, however, do not include using household aerosol insecticides.
“Aerosols are not supposed to be used for that purpose, and can sometimes give you dizzy spells, especially with stronger versions,” Kirton said. “Besides, they don’t repel leeches but kill them. Repellents on the other hand, do not kill leeches but deter them from even coming near you.” One conventional leech deterrent is anti-leech socks, which are over-socks (usually made from canvas) worn over one’s normal socks and trousers – its non-stretchable material prevents leeches from latching on to one’s ankles.
However, wearing anti-leech socks does not guarantee complete safety from leeches.”They are effective to protect your feet, but not the rest of you,” said Kirton.
Sourced from www.thestar.com.my via http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Laurence-Kirton/1031888887
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