Studies have investigated how wing beat frequencies can be used to identify the mosquito species and even tell if they’re male or female. The “acoustic fingerprint” of mosquitoes may be also be key to new mosquito traps that not only catch the mosquitoes, but can identify them too. Read more: New mosquito threats shift risks from our swamps to our suburbs ![]() Baiting mosquito traps with sound devices replicating the flight tone of female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes collected approximately twice as many male mosquitoes compared to traps without sound.įemale mosquitoes didn’t respond to sound but when biosecurity surveillance relies on picking up as many mosquitoes as possible, the additional male mosquitoes collected increases the likelihood of detecting the arrival of exotic mosquitoes. There’s generally not been much interest in males.Įxploiting the attraction of male mosquitoes to the sounds of females is being tested in new surveillance technologies. Mosquito traps used by scientists and health authorities around the world focus on attracting female mosquitoes as they search for blood or a place to lay eggs. Sound may not be helping stop mosquito bites but it could still be useful in managing mosquito-borne disease outbreaks. Cameron Webb (NSW Health Pathology) Calling All Mosquitoes! There are dozens of apps available for your smartphone but there is little evidence they provide any genuine protection from biting mosquitoes. If they cannot stop mosquito bites, they won’t prevent mosquito-borne disease. There’s no reason to think smartphone apps are going to perform better than any of the other gimmicks that have come and gone from supermarket shelves over the decades. Studies have even demonstrated these sound-emitting devices actually increase mosquito bites by the Asian Tiger Mosquito and Yellow Fever mosquito. Similarly, laboratory studies failed to show any bite prevention. A review of field testing showed no protection was provided. ![]() There is no evidence sound-emitting devices can stop mosquitoes biting. The sounds may now be available with a swipe of the finger, rather than a flick of a switch, but the general sale pitch remains the same: Silence the mosquito bites with sound. There are now dozens of “ mosquito repellent” apps available online for your smartphone. There was little scientific evidence they worked. The sounds broadcast typically covered a range of frequencies, some even the sounds of mosquito predators (such as the wing beat frequencies of dragonflies). There is a long history of entrepreneurs marketing various sound-producing gadgets to repel mosquitoes. So an understanding of how mosquitoes make and respond to sound could provide better mosquito surveillance or control strategies. This romantic sing-along has been reported in a range of mosquitoes involved in the transmission of dengue and malaria pathogens. This helps identify potential mates and make an assessment of the quality of the potential mate based on the quality of their “song.” ![]() Male and female mosquitoes of some species have been documented responding to the wing beat frequencies of each other in a “ mating duet.” In a phenomenon known as “harmonic convergence,” the mosquitoes change the frequency of their wing beats in response to each other. Read more: What can I eat to stop mosquitoes biting me? The tones produced by mosquitoes can be used for communication. Each mosquito has its own musical “fingerprint,” but it’s not just the noisy by-product of flight. The sounds can be wide-ranging and vary between males and females. Those occasionally annoying tones produced by mosquitoes come from the beating of their wings. Those more ready to bite will come in, land, suck your blood, and fly off before you’ve noticed them. The mosquitoes you hear are usually the ones a little less decisive about biting.
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