The active ingredient in a lot of mosquito coils is metofluthrin, which is basically a nerve agent to mosquitoes (but doesn't have much effect on mammals). It's a synthetic compound similar to certain chemicals (pyrethrins) that are found in chrysanthemum flowers, which have been used as insect repellents for centuries. Mosquito coils originally used chrysanthemum extract, but synthetic compounds have become more prevalent over time.
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