As soon as it warms up, it's time to take a walk in the fresh air. It seems that nothing can stop us from enjoying this wonderful period. Moreover, our "friends" mosquitoes will accompany us with great pleasure. So we won't feel lonely and we won't be bored at all.
I somehow try to joke about this, but in fact, with the advent of mosquitoes, things are not so rosy. Mosquito bites not only bother people, but can also be very dangerous, spreading various diseases.
But I also have good news for you, and this time it's not a joke. Studying how mosquitoes find their prey could help develop new defenses. Previous experiments have shown that mosquitoes are attracted to the smell of carbon dioxide from our breath, so in a new project, researchers from the University of Washington have figured out how this smell stimulates them to search for food.
It turned out that carbon dioxide itself is only part of the signal to which these insects respond. The brain of a mosquito consists of about 200,000 neurons, and the smell of CO2 includes a program to search for several shades: red, orange, black or cyan.
The team conducted experiments with female mosquitoes of the most common species, Aedes aegypti, monitoring their response to visual and olfactory cues in a test chamber. They tested how the insects reacted to dots of different colors on the bottom of the chamber, with or without atomized carbon dioxide.
Experts found that mosquitoes flew to the spots if they were red, orange, black, or cyan and if they sensed the presence of carbon dioxide. Without the gas, the insects mostly ignored the dots, no matter what color they were. However, they were not interested in green, blue, white or purple dots, even in the presence of CO2. The research findings were published in the journal https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28195-x” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener nofollow”>Nature Communications: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28195-x
Why are mosquitoes attracted to red and orange colors?
The experts say that human skin, regardless of hue or pigmentation, produces a strong red-orange signal to mosquito eyes. But if you put on a green glove on your hand, the insects will not pay attention to ii, even in the presence of CO2.
Conclusion: if you are going for a walk in the forest, put on a green jacket – this way you are much less likely to get bitten. Red and blue clothes are best left at home.
How to prevent mosquito bites?
- Now we know for sure that when going for a walk, it is better to wear light-colored clothes that cover the neck, arms and legs as much as possible. Bright and dark colors are more attractive to insects.
- Damp places should be avoided, the best place for a walk is dry paths. It is also worth excluding places with a lot of grass, mosquitoes and midges will be much larger.
- Use mosquito repellant if you are going to nature or other places where there are mosquitoes. It is best to use natural repellents (soybean oil, tea tree oil, thyme oil, lemon eucalyptus oil, and others).
- To get rid of mosquitoes indoors – if possible, it is worth putting mosquito nets. The effect will be greater if you sprinkle the net with citrus, pine or geranium essential oil. Mosquitoes also do not like various specific saturated smells of smoke. You can scare them away with the help of smoke from pine needles thrown into the fire, cones (if you are in nature), a few drops of camphor or cedar oil.
If the "little vampire" has already bitten – first you need to reduce the itching. You can use special products such as creams and lotions. Also, you can choose folk methods. The easiest is to treat the affected area with calendula tincture. Or wet the bite with an ordinary soda solution – 1 teaspoon per glass of water and lemon juice.
If it is not possible to protect yourself from mosquitoes, the bite blisters become inflamed, and the itching does not go away for a long time and is accompanied by an increase in body temperature, you should seek qualified medical help.
Ready for a walk?