Many people, with the arrival of the hot season, try to caution themselves from the stings of mosquito Buying or putting the famous into operation “anti -media lamps“O zapperlarge plates a blue light Which, in theory, should free us from the annoying presence of these parasitic insects by attracting them and killing them with a small electric shock. Too bad that do not work because the mosquitoes, whose density in Italy is increasing due to warmer and longer summers than in previous years, they are not attracted by the light of this or other lamps. The females of these insects, in fact, do not use the view much to orient themselves, but have evolved to perceive and trace other signals, such as ours breath or body smell. Except for a few mosquitoes passed closely by chance, to end up fried in the Zapper lamps is some other night insect, usually completely harmless for us.
Mosquitoes are not very attracted to the light of the anti -media lamps
The famous lamps zapper they were invented by exploiting the tendency of insects to use bright sources (in general natural) to orient themselves in the night, in an attempt to attract and also eliminate mosquitoes through an electric discharge. The most recent on the market, in the shape of a cylinder, declare to trap the mosquitoes using the ultraviolet light. Although there are some studies that suggest the effectiveness of these lamps as a monitoring method in areas affected by malaria, theMosquito attraction towards ultraviolet light is minimal And it varies from species to species, with many species of mosquitoes that are not influenced at all.
In fact, these parasitic insects have evolved to find who sting through other signals and, while also using the view to find their prey with greater ease, they manage very well to do without it. If you left an open window and the light on, it is likely that the mosquitoes would have arrived even if the light had been turned off: it was ours that attracted them heatours carbon dioxide and ours Body smells.
Mosquitoes are not attracted to light, but by other factors
Like all parasitic animals, mosquitoes have evolved a sophisticated sensory system to identify their prey. Among all, the presence of carbon dioxide emitted by ours breathing It is an unequivocal signal of the presence of human beings that can be punished: mosquitoes are able to perceive an increase in CO2 up to 30 meters away thanks to specialized receptors with attached neurons, called CPAon their maxillary roofs near their mug system.
Mosquitoes also use body heat And other chemical signals present in our sweat and body smell are to find us better in the dark, and they are also the reason why some of us seem to be constantly targeted with mosquitoes, while others are often ignored. To influence their preferences, the blood group in particular the type 0 (also perceptible through body smell), genetics (simply certain people emit more attractive smells) and pregnancy: pregnant women emit 21% more carbon dioxide and have an almost a higher degree than the norm. The lifestyle also affects mosquito attacks: they prefer those who exercise for the greatest body warmth and for the presence of lactic acid in sweat, and those who have drank beer, even if the reason is not yet clear.
The night orientation of insects
Many night insects have entrusted for millions of years on lunar light and, partially, on that of the stars for orientate in the dark. The structure of their composite eye means that they can align the radius of a source of a fixed light, and keep the course maintaining the same angle with the source, as if they used a sort of Bright “compass”.
But the relatively recent invention of artificial light sources has disguised their ability, which, to work, needs a source of light very distantlike that of the moon, because its rays reach the earth always at the same corner. Bulbs, lampposts and other source of electric light they are very close to the lunar light, and therefore they project rays in all directions. Trying to maintain the same corner compared to a light source that projects rays all around it, the insects end up being disoriented And they have to constantly adjust their route and inevitably end up flying around the light around the light, often slamming on it.
