Tag: Don Yee

Closeup image of four mosquito larvae in water, in which mats of pollen grains are floating at the top. Three of the larvae are hanging upside down at the surface, while the fourth swims below them. The larvae are translucent with light brown coloration and darker brown heads. The pollen is light yellowish white in color.

Plant Pollen May Be Important Food Source for Some Mosquitoes in U.S.

Larvae of the southern house mosquito (Culex quinquefasciatus) fared well in a new study when fed a diet of corn or pine pollen. The findings suggest corn pollen could help the species— key vector of West Nile virus in the U.S.—thrive in habitats near agricultural areas.

Entomology Today March 29, 2023 Leave a Comment

Less Than 10% of Mosquito Species Spread Human Disease

A new study examining the associations between mosquito species and the germs they carry finds just 9.3 percent of species transmit human disease-causing pathogens—but those associations are strong and likely resilient to the removal of individual species from the vector network.

Salt-Based Mosquito-Control Products Aren’t Worth Their Salt, Study Finds

Products claiming to reduce mosquito populations with salt-water solutions are ineffective, according to a new study. In a series of lab tests using nine mosquito species, a team of expert mosquito researchers found no evidence that adult mosquitoes are killed by salt ingested at concentrations used in several popular mosquito-control products. The findings are reported in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

Entomologists Discuss Discovery’s “Mosquito” Documentary: A Live-Tweet Recap

By Donald A. Yee, Ph.D. The old adage “bad press is better than no press” has a long history, and it surely applies to coverage of insects broadly and insects that […]