Scientists from the University of Washington have discovered a relationship between hearing and mating in mosquitos. The findings could lead to new ways to control mosquito populations and the fight against malaria.
For starters, that distinct buzzing in your ear is a sure sign that a female mosquito is hunting for your blood (females drink blood, not males). Your instinct is to swat it, but that sound is a love song to male mosquitoes. It's time to mate.
Why it matters
Interfering with how mosquitoes combine hearing and visual information may lead to superior ways to control mosquito reproduction.
How it would work
Researchers are especially keen to find ways to interfere with the mating behavior of Anopheles mosquitos, the primary spreaders of malaria parasites to humans. If researchers figure out how to stymie mosquitos' auditory-visual connection, it could reduce Anopheles populations and limit the spread of malaria.
The challenge
While the benefits are significant, translating this discovery into effective mosquito control will require overcoming key technical hurdles.
- Researchers must identify the specific sound frequencies that trigger the mating drive in different mosquito species.
- They'll also have to engineer affordable traps and disrupt mating on a large scale.
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