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Have a mosquito problem? Look for them close to home, says expert

May 23, 2024 sarah JonasFeature Expert

You’re settling down in your patio chair, ready to enjoy a book, a pitcher of lemonade, and the sun-warmed breeze, when a mosquito settles down on your arm. And another lands on your leg, while another buzzes right by your ear. Virginia Tech entomologist Eric Day says that when it comes to controlling mosquitoes, there aren’t easy short cuts.

Mosquito love songs send mixed message about immunity

June 24, 2021 sarah JonasResearch Results

A new Cornell University study of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes investigates how a mating cue called “harmonic convergence” might affect immunity against parasites, bacteria and dengue virus in offspring, which has important implications for trade-offs male mosquitoes make between investing energy towards immunity or investing it on traits that impact mating and fitness.

Mosquitoes are drawn to flowers as much as people — and now scientists know why

January 21, 2020 sarah JonasResearch Results

Scientists have identified the chemical cues in flowers that stimulate mosquitoes’ sense of smell and draw them in. Their findings show how cues from flowers can stimulate the mosquito brain as much as a warm-blooded host — information that could help develop less toxic repellents and better traps.