Tips for a successful hunt for mosquitoes
The stinging insects are a major nuisance in many travel destinations – even if mankind has already devised countless methods to keep the animals at bay. But what works against mosquitoes?
Patsch: The plastic fly swatter is a German invention
Quelle: Getty Images
MNeck phobics are often particularly well prepared when travelling. As soon as you head back to the tropics, the basics on the go are: mosquito net for a quiet night, impregnated clothes for jungle tours, several mosquito sprays, from organic citronella to a chemical club – and the good old fly swatter, in the Baden dialect too Muggebacha called.
But the art of catching mosquitoes with it needs to be learned. The little animals are savvy specialists in evasion. Biologists from Wageningen University in the Netherlands have just examined the mosquitoes’ escape strategies in more detail.
Two particularly unpleasant whirring species were selected that have a preference for human hosts and can also transmit diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, Zika fever and dengue fever.
In laboratory hunting, mechanical swatters were placed near a lure and swarms of starved midges (Anopheles coluzzii and Aedes aegypti) were released. The movements of the insects were recorded with high-speed cameras. Whenever one of them came within range of the swatter, it triggered a defensive strike.
Most of the time the mosquitoes escape
The sobering result: the mosquitoes escaped in 92 percent of the cases. Of the more than 10,000 recorded attacks, the mechanical swatter hit the mosquitoes in just eight percent of the cases. Both mosquito species used tricks that improved their chances of dodging. “By flying faster or incorporating sharp turns, the mosquitoes reduce the likelihood of being hit,” the research team explained.
The flight behavior of the nocturnal malaria mosquito, for example, can be described as flying blind, since it cannot see at night either. It is completely unpredictable: fast, winding, zigzagging. Preferring to fly leisurely on sight, the diurnal Aedes aegypti uses targeted evasive maneuvers, high agility and maneuverability and can thus reduce the risk of being hit by a factor of two, according to flight tests.
She rest in peace: dead insect on a fly swatter
Quelle: Getty Images/Image Source
But how can you outwit the insidious mosquitoes? The only thing that helps is practice, practice, practice (slap, slap, slap) and a trick from the art of clay pigeon shooting, which is particularly popular in Great Britain: don’t hold out, don’t stop, but pull along and overshoot.
That increases the chances significantly. But if you get hit, it often takes revenge with an unsightly stain on the wall. That’s why there are now battery-powered e-swatters that give the mosquito an electric shock and make it fall to the ground.
Fly Swatter and Insect Gun
Incidentally, the first mechanical fly swatter made of plastic was invented in Germany. In 1953 Erich Schumm from Stuttgart applied for a patent for it. And even earlier, exactly 100 years ago, inventor Marcus Heidbreder from the Westerwald even invented an insect gun.
When the trigger was pulled, a piece of leather jumped forward via an elastic band and wiped off the mosquito. However, the accuracy of the shot left a lot to be desired. But it can also be done without complicated technology: simply roll up a newspaper and boldly pat away. Print works!
What to consider for the Easter holiday
The first major travel wave of 2022 is imminent in April, when the Easter holidays begin in the first federal states at the beginning of the month. There are still numerous offers for those who decide on the spur of the moment. The corona restrictions have fallen in many countries – but not everywhere.
Source: WORLD / Thomas Laeber