Mosquito - © Lauren Bishop - CDC

Newest Natural, Organic Bug Repellent: Buzz-Off Pizza!

While we all love to get out and grill over the sultry summer months, there’s also a down side. Pesky Mosquitos. But now there’s a new organic mosquito repellent you can get with a tap of your phone. And you can eat it!

Buzz-Off Pizza - © 2023 Pizza-Pizza

There’s at least one menu choice out there what will let you enjoy an al fresco dinner without the company of flying pests.

The Pizza-Pizza Buzz-Off Pizza features natural ingredients that repel mosquitos but go together to make a meal you’ll love. Especially if you love it hot!

What it is

Starting with a slab of the brand’s regular crust and an (optional) six-cheese base, the Buzz-Off adds a hot pepper pantheon including chili peppers, hot sauce drizzle (extra charge) garlic spread, jalapeno peppers, red onions, roasted garlic and sun-dried tomatoes.

How the chilies work

According to the Environmental Protection Agency,:

“Capsaicin, which is made from the […] red chili pepper, is used as a bird, animal and insect repellent. Specifically, it is used to repel birds, voles, deer, rabbits, squirrels, insects and attacking dogs.

“Capsaicin is obtained by grinding dried, ripe Capsicum frutescens L. chili peppers into a fine powder. The oleoresin is derived by distilling the powder in a solvent and evaporating the solvent. The resulting highly concentrated liquid has little odor but has an extremely pungent taste.”

Yes, it’s also the active ingredient in self-defece pepper sprays.

How the garlic works

Scientists were testing garlic for its repellent powers as early as a decade ago. They claim that Garlic contains some powerful sulfur compounds – the stuff that humans find mildly offensive to the nose – but which mosquitos hate.

“It is a very special form of garlic that’s about three times more potent than a regular, standard garlic,” Todd Wilson, superintendent of parks for the City of Leduc, Alberta told CBC. “A mosquito will smell it about 10,000 times more acutely than a human being.”

Wilson’s people have been spraying the garlic in City parks. He says, feedback has been positive.

Does The Buzz-Off say ‘supper’ to you?

If it does, you’ll be able to get it at Pizza-Pizza locations across Canada for just $24.95. But note that, like most special things in the Fast Food universe, it’s a limited-time offer.

Of course, so is summer itself.

~ Maggie J.