• They study the effects of winter on mosquitoes and bring very bad news for next summer
• Mosquitoes bite us more every year and science rules: it’s our fault

A team of scientists from Georgia Tech and MIT has managed to decipher why mosquitoes bite some people more than others, thanks to a study published in Science Advances based on more than 20 million data about your behavior.

The investigation reveals that it is not a matter of chance, but of a precise combination of environmental signals. Analysis of the flight of females Aedes aegypti shows how these insects locate their victims through visual and chemical stimuli.

To reach these conclusions, The researchers used three-dimensional infrared cameras which allowed the movement of hundreds of mosquitoes to be followed in a controlled environment, subsequently introducing a human to evaluate their response.

Scientific keys to behavior

One of the main findings is that mosquitoes do not follow each otherbut rather they react independently to the same signals. Professor David Hu explained: “It’s like a crowded bar. Customers come not because they follow others, but because they are attracted to the same stimuli“.

These stimuli include carbon dioxide and visual contrasts. Experiments showed that a dark object attracts mosquitoes, but when combined with CO₂, the effect is intensified and the insects stay longer trying to feed.

Why some people get stung more

During human testing, researcher Christopher Zuo observed that mosquitoes concentrate primarily on the head and shoulders. This indicates that interpret people as sources of signalsnot as defined objectives.

People who emit more carbon dioxide and have greater visual contrast are more attractive. Furthermore, when only one of the stimuli is present, insects tend to disperse, but the combination of both causes a more intense attraction.

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED

Scott Braunstein, doctor, on why mosquitoes bite you: “Your blood type is key”

R. Badillo

These findings may improve strategies against diseases such as malaria or Zika. According to Zuo, activating suction traps intermittently could be more effectivesince mosquitoes do not stay in one place if the signals are not constant.