[pct-l] bug question

[greg mushial]

> Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2010 11:06:12 -0800
> From: Kathi <pogo at pctwalker.com>
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] bug question
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Message-ID: <4CF156A4.40606 at pctwalker.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
>
> I don't remember where I read it, may have been a post from someone on
> this list or a book I read. There was a very scientific study done by
> the military on what would keep mosquitoes away. They learned that it is
> not a smell that keeps them away but an altering of the way they find
> food. So their little blood sucking receptors get scrambled when the
> come across something like deet. From what I remember they said it is
> the carbon dioxide that the mossies zero in on to find their "prey",
> same for ticks apparently. Deet scrambles their finding abilities so
> they don't really "know" that anything is there and if one gets you with
> a product like deet it is supposedly by sheer luck not because they
> could "find" you. The article I read claimed that garlic and citronella
> and all that other stuff and "home remedies" really didn't do anything
> to detract mosquitoes.
>
> I personally think there might be something in a person's natural
> chemistry to keep mossies away. When I am by myself and unprotected I
> will have mosquitoes come after me, but if I'm with other people the
> mossies always go after them first and I might get 2 bites to another
> person's 20 bites. Guess my blood is just too sweet for 'em. :p
> Kathi

My understanding is that a) they're looking for a IR signature relative to 
the background and b) CO2...  but just a comment w/re the IR part: here in 
Redding we'll have mosquitos in May and June...  until the first warm days - 
while the temps are under 100F, the mosquitos generally do a pretty good job 
finding you...  but once the temp gets over 105 or so, they can't see you. 
One can see this effect most strongly in the evening as the temp drops - 
during the day you can see them flying around, but they won't bite - it's as 
if one were invivible - but once the sun sets and the temp drops below 
95ish, then they can (see you) and do bite. After a couple good warm days, 
even if there are still water puddles for them to lay eggs in etc, they're 
gone - my take is that they starve to death on those warm days - simply 
can't see their prey; and the CO2 signature isn't strong for enough them to 
distinguish you vs rotting wood etc.
TheDuck