For mosquitoes the best… dubstep

According to recent reports by scientists, a good way to avoid mosquito bites is to listen to electronic music – dubstep in particular. According to a new study, sound with very low and very high frequencies can act as a repellent against mosquitoes.

Music can be an effective way to protect against mosquitoes, according to a recent study. An international group of researchers specializing in diseases spread by insects has tested whether sounds in any wayob affect the activity and mating habits of mosquitoesow Aedes aegypti, ktore transmit the dengue virus or malaria. It turned out that the function of a repellent can be performed by dubstep, especially by an artist hiding under the pseudonym Skrillex.

„Sound plays an important role in sexual interactions and the survival of many insectsow, including a mosquitoow. There is evidence that sound has a deleterious effect on acoustic signal perception of insectsow, courtship and feeding activity” – wrote the researchers on „Acta Tropica”.

Syndromeoł studied hundreds of mosquitoesow Aedes aegypti examining how often they copulated and the amount of time they spent foraging for laboratory hamsters, ktorych, in the name of science, suffered some itchy bites. Species Aedes aegypti is common in tropical regions of the world and is responsible for spreading potentially life-threatening diseasesob.

During the experimentoin mosquitoes were let loose to create aor „Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites” Skrillex, ktory was included in an album of the same name released in 2010. Utwor this was chosen because of its mix of very high and very low frequencies.

„U insectoin low-frequency vibrations facilitate sexual interactions, while noise zakłoca signal perceptionoin from representatives of the same species and hosts” – wrote the researchers in the publication.

Scientists have observed that adult female mosquitoesoin were, as they put it – „interested in” track, which manifested pomore severe and less frequent attacks on the host than females in the dubstep-free control group. Foraging frequency was noticeably lower when mosquitoes were played Skrillex. The researchers observed a roalso that mosquitoes, whichohe aforementioned formation was releasedor, they began to copulate less frequently in porocompared to those in the control group.

„Observations that such music could opoThe planting of trees in large numbers should be considered by all countriesocut społing provides new opportunities to develop music-based agentsoIn personal protection against mosquitoes and control against diseases transmitted by the Aedes aegypti” – said the study authors.