Using flower scents created in a lab, a team of researchers at Ohio State University plans to lure mosquitoes into traps. The objective: Kill the pests that carry life-threatening diseases, including West Nile Virus and malaria. “Think of the perfume industry. It’s the same approach, but we’re using it to trap mosquitoes for public-health purposes,” said Philip E. Otienoburu, an OSU entomologist.
— Read more at OSU researchers create fragrance mosquitoes can’t resist at The Columbus Dispatch.
Oh no! This is maybe the most disturbing thing I’ve ever read. I have never in my life heard before that mosquitoes are attracted to flower scents, despite having spent countless hours trying to research what makes mosquitoes like some people more than others. I’m always the one who gets bitten dozens of times while other people are perfectly fine, and I’ve never known why. I’ve gone without perfume many times of course but they still love me. This is all so confusing! I better make sure nothing I like contains milkweed…
Clearly they like some people’s skin better than others, not sure this helps explain it. I was out w/ my sister the other day, she got about 8 bites, I got 1.
Exactly. I think it’s pheromonal.
Still, now that I know they like florals I’m scared to wear perfume! (I guess I could switch to citronella-only scents…)