Looking for an environmentally friendly alternative to your mosquito repellent this season? New research coming out of Asia shows music from the dubstep artist Skrillex can help stop mosquitoes from feeding and having sex.
Looking at mosquitoes associated with dengue fever, Zika, yellow fever and other diseases, researchers examined the effects of Skrillex’s song Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites on the insects foraging, attacking and sexual activities.
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Presenting mosquitoes with two sound environments, one with music and one without, the study found those listening to the music visited human hosts significantly less often and attacked them much later than those who were not.
Blood feeding activity was also notably lower when music was being played.
The study also found insects exposed to the music copulated far less often than those not exposed to music.
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Although the mosquitoes being studied live in tropical or subtropical areas — not in Canada — the study’s findings are aimed at developing environmentally friendly options. Currently insecticides are the main way of repelling the bugs, but have been proven to be harmful to other insects, plants and animal life while also losing their effectiveness.
Research has found mosquitoes rely on sound to communicate with the opposite sex, which coupled with this new study’s finding, shows that interrupting those communications is clearly detrimental.
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