Mosquito 'Cognito Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does the Mosquito 'Cognito work?

Like bloodhounds, biting insects have poor eyesight but a keen sense of smell. The Mosquito 'Cognito takes advantage of their poor eyesight and turns their sense of smell against them. They can smell you from 100 feet away, but they cannot see a person-sized object until they are 30 feet away. The Mosquito 'Cognito releases a scent with Conceal, a special inhibitor. Conceal binds to the insect's olfactory receptors and blocks their ability to smell people and animals. Mosquito 'Cognito reduces mosquito landings on people and animals by about 80-85% when used properly.

Watch a video on how the U.S. Equestrian Team succeeded in protecting its stable of million-dollar horses for the Olympic Team during the New Jersey West Nile Virus scare in the summer of 2000.

2. What's the difference between a repellent and an inhibitor?

A repellent smells bad to a mosquito, so they avoid it. DEET and Citronella are repellents. Unfortunately, you have to cover all of your exposed skin with a repellent for full protection - and reapply the repellent often. Some scientists are have concerns about the effects of DEET on the health of humans and animals, especially small children.

An inhibitor is different. It shuts down the mosquito's sense of smell. A mosquito with a nose-full of Conceal will not go elsewhere to find another victim because it doesn't know where to go. If they cannot track your scent, they cannot get close enough to see you. If they cannot see you, they cannot bite you.

Watch a video of an oflactometer test with Conceal.

3. Where does the Mosquito 'Cognito Inhibitor work best?

Mosquito 'Cognito works best on your deck, pool or patio near your home. First, the yard usually separates the house from the prime mosquito habitat such as woods or standing water. In addition, the house acts as a barrier so mosquitoes can't come at you from every direction. Finally, by placing Mosquito 'Cognito on the edge of the deck or patio, its Conceal inhibitor mixes with and helps mask the scent of people no matter which way the wind is blowing. More than one Mosquito 'Cognito device is needed for large groups of people. As a rule of thumb, start with one for every five adults.

When boating or camping, the Mosquito 'Cognito works best inside your boat, tent or RV to keep mosquitoes out. At the University of Florida Vero Beach field laboratory, the Mosquito 'Cognito inhibitor reduced mosquito landings on male and female subjects from 12 per hour (one every 5 minutes) to 3 per hour (one every 20 minutes).

4. What's wrong with sprays and foggers?

The backyard mosquito control method Americans use most is sprays and foggers - arguably the most expensive, ineffective and environmentally harmful thing to do. Sprays are expensive. They are effective for only 2 to 4 hours, then the mosquitoes are back. Sprays are indiscriminate. They kill every insect that they touch: ladybug, butterfly, praying mantis, earthworm - everything. Worst of all, the mosquitoes that survive come back stronger than ever. In as little as 6 generations (two months under ideal conditions) mosquitoes can build up immunity to a pesticide.

If you rely on pesticide sprays and foggers, you will need more and more of them to do the job, and you will have to use them more and more often. The best way to make pesticides effective is to minimize their use. Make them your last choice, not your first choice.

5. How effective are Citronella candles and smoking coils

Citronella candles and smoking coils repel mosquitoes, but you must stay in the smoky plume to be protected. The smoking coils contain pesticides.

Dr. Robert Novak of the University of Illinois tested Citronella candles and reported that when smoke covered a human test subject's shin, the mosquitoes flew around the subject's leg and bit them on the calf.

6. Does the Mosquito 'Cognito inhibitor work everywhere?

No. Use a repellent such as DEET when you are moving within visual or thermal range (about 30 feet) of mosquito habitat such as woods, swamps, marshes or the shoreline.

7. Why is the inhibitor in the Mosquito 'Cognito registered with the U.S. EPA?

The active ingredient in the Mosquito 'Cognito inhibitor, Conceal, is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved food additive. However, U.S. regulations define a pesticide as "any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, repelling, or mitigating any pest." Conceal is therefore registered as a pesticide with the EPA.

The Conceal inhibitor molecule is found in the essential oils of plants. It is widely used as a food flavoring and in 80% of the carrier oils for perfume and cologne.

8. How do I get the most protection from biting insects?

It is important to position BioSensory products properly. Place the Mosquito 'Cognito inhibitor near the people you want to protect.