Infrared Radiation: A New Player In Mosquito Host-Seeking

The sound of mosquitoes is all around us when the sun sets and the air gets warm and sweltering.

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Although most people consider mosquitoes to be pests, these tiny insects are actually very good predators of humans because of their amazing biological tools. Mosquitoes such as Aedes spread pernicious diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya and zika. Another genus of mosquito, Culex spreads diseases like west nile fever and japanese encephalitis, while Anopheles spreads malaria. These diseases cause widespread death every year. It is important to note that female mosquitoes require blood for egg development whereas the male mosquitoes pose no threat to humans. Since mosquitoes are famous for spreading such a wide range of diseases, it is no surprise that extensive research has been conducted over many years to decipher their host-searching mechanisms. Scientists have recently discovered that mosquitoes do not rely on just one signal to find their hosts. Rather, they use a combination of signals such as carbon dioxide concentration in exhaled breath, odor and humidity from the human bodies to locate their hosts. These signals are detected by numerous senses across various distances. However, each of these cues has certain constraints.