A Mosquito’s Sense of Smell: What Is the Buzz All About?

Abstract

If it feels like you attract mosquitoes, you are on to something. Females of most mosquito species need to consume blood to produce eggs, and they use specialized senses to scope out their next snack. The saliva they leave behind after “taking a bite” can cause anything from a little itching to painful bumps and a fever. These thirsty insects use their ability to detect carbon dioxide, odor molecules, and heat to find food. In this article, we discuss the basics of smell in mosquitoes: how they smell, what their “nose” looks like, and how they specifically detect humans like you. There is more to mosquitoes than buzzing and bites! A better understanding of how mosquitoes detect odors and find prey may be the key to protecting against the diseases they cause.