Mosquitoes

[zking786]

Does anyone know what the mosquitoes senses are and how sensative they are?

 

I've heard of contraptions that lure mosquitoes by their attraction to CO2. Why are they attracted to CO2?

 

Does anyone know the hearing frequency range for mosquitoes?

 

How do the antennae of a mosquito work?

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Mosquitoes are attracted to CO₂ because all mammals give it off, so it can be very handy to find food. We breathe out carbon dioxide, so the mosquitoes just have to spot it and come towards the source.

[AzurePhoenix]

Their eyesight is pretty underdevloped, but they are sensitive to light levels. As for the CO2 thing, it seems that they might track CO2 over distances and then hone in on particular scent cues specific to their desired "prey," so their smell seems to be pretty good. Don't have a clue about other senses though.

[Glider]

Body heat. As AzurePhoenix says, they follow the CO2 trail over distances, then use body heat to home in on their target.

[mattbimbo]

i remember telling my mum about this paper regarding how female mosquitoes sense sweat, because she is always the one in our family to get most bitten, and she always and correctly reckoned it was a sweat thing.

[AzurePhoenix]

Body heat. As AzurePhoenix says, they follow the CO2 trail over distances, then use body heat to home in on their target.

They're amzing little things, relying on so many tricks to get to where they need to go to get the right type of yummy animal juice. Then when they put it altogether to get where they want and using that little swiss army-knife proboscis of theirs. Gotta love the litte malaria-bags.

[zking786]

Anyone know what the components of sweat are? Which one, in particular, attracts these mosquitos? Are males attracted to the same things as females?

 

BTW, thanks for all the answers!

[mattbimbo]

perhaps oxocarboxylic acids. again oxocarboxylic acids.

 

interestingly after dinner, mosquitoes lose their sense of smell.

 

and now i have an idea why my mother gets bit the most - alcohol intake stimulates mosquitoes to bite.

 

since starting this thread, i am wondering what is the distance-dependency of their attraction to CO2, heat or sweat. and their attraction to light, is this a moonlight thing?

[zking786]

That's very interesting.

 

Also, how do they detect the presence of CO2?

 

It would be interesting to study the physiology of the mosquito's various sensory receptors.

[mattbimbo]

i believe CO2 sensing by mosquitoes and their like, including frogs, involves specialized neurons.

 

It would be interesting to study the physiology of the mosquito's various sensory receptors.

yes it would. maybe you have found a career for yourself? and it is possible to make transgenic mosquitoes now.

[zking786]

Cool! Well, it would be interesting to study the physiology of any living organsim!

[Glider]

They're amzing little things, relying on so many tricks to get to where they need to go to get the right type of yummy animal juice. Then when they put it altogether to get where they want and using that little swiss army-knife proboscis of theirs. Gotta love the litte malaria-bags.

True, they are an amazing example of specialised adaptation. If it weren't for the fact that in terms of mortality, they are the most lethal animal on the planet, they'd be very cool.

 

 

Also, how do they detect the presence of CO2?

They have specialised chemoreceptors on their antennae.

[AzurePhoenix]

If it weren't for the fact that in terms of mortality, they are the most lethal animal on the planet, they'd be very cool.

Glider, you're just putting frosting on the cake

[Glider]

Hehehe