Can a song "hypnotize mosquitoes"? Is it really that magical? Click here to try it out!

As the weather gradually warms up, the season of lush grass and singing birds, full of vitality, is coming towards us with open arms.

We no longer have to shiver in the house to keep warm, and the epidemic has finally slowed down. It has been a long time since we can call our friends, take our dogs for a walk, put on pretty dresses, and go out for an outing to embrace nature.

However, whether we are going out or staying at home, as the temperature gets warmer, a punctual old acquaintance always appears quietly, buzzing in our ears and disturbing our sweet dreams.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

In order to drive away or even kill this old fellow, people racked their brains and used various means. When all methods failed, some magical stories came into being.

For example, there is a song called "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" which has become popular recently because it is said to be a hypnotic song for mosquitoes. Simply playing it on your mobile phone can make mosquitoes fall to the ground. It is truly magical.

The war between humans and mosquitoes has been protracted. As humans have been working hard to accumulate technology for a long time, it is inevitable that the technology tree will go astray.

Many people have heard of or even tried various mosquito repellent remedies, such as mosquito repellent grass, mosquito repellent bracelets, vitamins soaked in water, etc. There is also a category of remedies that are packaged more "high-tech", that is, various products and even apps that claim to use sound waves to repel mosquitoes.

As for the effect, we can only say that mosquitoes, as the number one natural enemy of mankind and the most murderous animal on earth, cannot be easily eliminated.

So, do mosquitoes have their own preferences for sounds or even music? Of course they do.

In fact, this is not surprising if you think about it carefully. The main purpose of animals developing hearing is to find sounds that interest them, as well as sounds that they hate and often represent danger and trouble. Therefore, it is very natural for animals with hearing to have likes and dislikes for sounds.

As one of the most successful animal groups on Earth, mosquitoes have excellent hearing and can keenly detect sounds from far away. The buzzing sound that we are familiar with and hate is actually a mountain song that mosquitoes intentionally make and sing to each other. They use sound to attract each other, communicate with each other, and fly in groups.

Just as the voices of male and female humans have certain gender characteristics, the wing flapping sounds of mosquitoes are also gender-specific : the sound that male mosquitoes like best is naturally the buzzing sound made by female mosquitoes.

In addition to being interested in the wingbeats of male mosquitoes, female mosquitoes are also particularly sensitive to the sounds of their hosts.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Different types of mosquitoes have different preferences for hosts, some like mammals, some like birds, and some like amphibians. Therefore, they can also distinguish the sounds of different animals and find the big enemy that suits their taste.

For example, mosquitoes that suck the blood of frogs can accurately identify the calls of specific types of frogs. For them, "listening to the sound of frogs" has the same artistic conception as talking about a good harvest amid the fragrance of rice flowers.

By using the sounds of hosts and mosquitoes of the opposite sex, scientists can indeed catch more mosquitoes with traps. Conversely, some sounds of specific frequencies do have the effect of repelling mosquitoes in the laboratory.

As for why mosquitoes hate these sounds, it may be because they are similar to the sounds that represent danger in nature, such as the sounds of natural enemies. In addition, when female mosquitoes are not interested in finding a mate, the sounds of male mosquitoes will also make them "lower their heads".

Therefore, under specific experimental conditions, it is possible to use sound to repel mosquitoes to a certain extent.

Although it is theoretically possible to use sound waves of specific frequencies and bands to attract or repel pests, and it has also been applied in scientific research , in reality, the related products on the market are basically useless , and some have even shown amazing effects in increasing mosquito bites in third-party studies, turning from a "little song to repel mosquitoes" into a "happy song for fat mosquitoes."

After all, there is often a long way to go from theory to practice. In reality, environmental factors are ever-changing and very different from a single laboratory environment.

Mosquitoes may avoid certain sounds in laboratory conditions, but in reality they may behave differently due to other factors. For example, although there is an annoying magic sound piercing my ears, I haven't eaten enough for three days, and the smell of the two-legged beast in front of me is too delicious...

At this point, you may suddenly have an idea: since the mosquito repellent song doesn't work, isn't there a sound that attracts mosquitoes? Can you make a mosquito trap to catch all the mosquitoes in your home?

However, in practical applications, such traps are more suitable for research sampling and are not very suitable for personal home use.

There are two problems with using it yourself:

Firstly, this mosquito-catching device that plays beautiful music is certainly remarkable, but the fact that you live under the same roof makes mosquitoes even more excited; secondly, there may have been only one mosquito in your house, but now the mosquitoes from your neighbors are following the sound, which is a big loss.

Let’s get back to the legendary mosquito hypnotic song “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites”. Does this song help you sleep?

In fact, there is a group of scientists who seriously studied the impact of this song on mosquitoes and published their research results.

The reason why the story that this song can hypnotize mosquitoes emerged and spread is probably related to this research.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

In this 2019 study, the experimenters found that when the song was played, the experimental group of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were significantly negatively affected in finding hosts, sucking blood, and mating compared to the control group that was kept quiet.

Apparently, the mosquitoes did not like the song and were disturbed by it, losing their appetite and even their worldly desires.

Of course, mosquitoes can still eat and mate when this song is played, but they are only affected to a certain extent. It has not reached the point where they will become unconscious as soon as they hear this "hypnotic song".

Those stories online about mosquitoes falling from the sky when this song is played may be coincidences due to other factors, or some of them may just be funny jokes.

But it is certain that mosquitoes - at least Aedes aegypti - hate this song.

So, can people who are attracted to mosquitoes (like me) immediately turn on their phones and play this song out loud, thus having an extra weapon to fight mosquitoes?

If you think so, you might as well try playing this song loudly and start a brainwashing loop. If your eating, sleeping and love affairs are not affected like mosquitoes in this mode with built-in BGM, then congratulations, mosquitoes may not be able to defeat you in your BGM - but don't stop the music!

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

Some things can be accomplished on one's own, but mosquito control is actually a very technical matter that tests the organizational and execution capabilities of professional departments and even social organizations.

Vector-borne disease control departments need to continuously monitor the number of mosquitoes in various locations, the possibility of population outbreaks, whether they carry various pathogens, etc. Mosquito breeding sites need to be controlled and sewage and stagnant water removed.

The most effective way to prevent and control mosquitoes is always to eliminate breeding sites . Once mosquitoes emerge as adults, the only option is to resort to large-scale spraying of pesticides, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, ineffective, and poses greater pollution and health threats.

The breeding sites of mosquitoes are often linked to social problems, such as urban villages and garbage dumps that are difficult to clean, which is why mosquito prevention and control is very difficult.

Copyright image, no permission to reprint

As an individual, the main thing you can do is physical defense, such as screen doors, windows, mosquito nets, etc., and mosquito repellent products with DEET as the main ingredient are also relatively the most effective direct means of repelling mosquitoes.

Although it is difficult to solve social problems overnight, we can still clean up the snow in front of our own door. We should actively clean up the bottles and cans that are prone to water accumulation in front of and behind our houses, and we can also put BT-type biological insecticides to prevent mosquito larvae in some long-term stagnant water that is difficult to drain.

In addition, mosquito fish were once introduced as a good biological control of mosquitoes, but they are actually an invasive species with tenacious vitality, so it is best to limit their use to small artificial water bodies that are not connected to natural water bodies, such as your own water lily tank - while you can watch the flowers and raise fish, you can also be protected from mosquito harassment, which can be said to be killing two birds with one stone.

References:

[1] Andrade, Carlos FS, and Isaías Cabrini. "Electronic mosquito repellers induce increased biting rates in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae)." Journal of Vector Ecology 35.1 (2010): 75-78.

[2] Camp, Jeremy V., et al. "Uranotaenia unguiculata Edwards, 1913 are attracted to sound, feed on amphibians, and are infected with multiple viruses." Parasites & vectors 11.1 (2018): 1-10.

[3] Dieng, Hamady, et al. "The electronic song “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” reduces host attack and mating success in the dengue vector Aedes aegypti." Acta tropica 194 (2019): 93-99.

[4] Steele, Cassandra H., and Emily G. McDermott. "Male and female mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) attraction to sound and its relevance to potential applications in vector surveillance." Annals of the Entomological Society of America 115.1 (2022): 113-126.

[5] Revay, Edita E., et al. "Evaluation of commercial products for personal protection against mosquitoes." Acta tropica 125.2 (2013): 226-230.

[6] Lapshin, DN, and DD Vorontsov. "Low-frequency sounds repel male mosquitoes Aedes diantaeus NDK (Diptera, Culicidae)." Entomological Review 98 (2018): 266-27

Author: ChenZ, PhD in Entomology

Reviewer: Huang Chengming, Researcher, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

The cover image and the images in this article are from the copyright library

Reproduction of image content is not authorized