Musical Mosquito Repellant

Female mosquitoes apparently don’t care for the music of Skrillex, an American electronic dance music artist. A rather strange research study published in March found that the pests suck less blood and mate less after listening to the song ‘Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites’ in ten-minute spurts, compared with mosquitoes left in silence. The team of insect researchers wondered whether loud music could be used to manipulate mosquito behaviour as an ‘environmentally friendly’ alternative to insecticides. The loud music may have distracted the mosquitoes, preventing them from homing in on a nearby food source and potential mates, the team suggested.

Other odd research and suggestions to the mosquito problem over the years include: letting a fungus kill them; using dogs to sniff out larvae; and distracting them with certain cheeses, the smell of which resemble odorous feet.