{"id":812,"date":"2026-05-28T20:39:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T20:39:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=812"},"modified":"2026-05-28T20:39:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T20:39:40","slug":"mosquitoes-might-outsmart-humans-by-liking-deet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=812","title":{"rendered":"Mosquitoes might outsmart humans by liking DEET"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>KEY POINTS<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>Researchers used Pavlovian conditioning to see how mosquitoes react to DEET over time.<\/li>\n<li>After conditioning, more than 60% of mosquitoes tried to feed when they smelled DEET.<\/li>\n<li>DEET is still good but researchers suggest applying it throughout the day rather than all at once.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ever heard of Pavlov\u2019s dogs? Now we have Pavlov\u2019s mosquitoes. <\/p>\n<p>A study published Thursday in the Journal of Experimental Biology showed that mosquitoes can learn to like the smell of DEET, an ingredient used in most insect repellents, and even associate it with eating. The method used in the study was similar to how Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov trained dogs to associate the sound of a bell with meal time in the 1890s. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=810\">How Lehi is building young readers \u2014 and affordable housing \u2014 during a national \u2018learning recession\u2019 moment<\/a><\/p>\n<p>According to a press release from Virginia Tech, the researchers there and the University of Tours in France trained yellow fever mosquitoes using Pavlovian conditioning. <\/p>\n<p>Cl\u00e9ment Vinauger, a professor at Virginia Tech, said they found that \u201cif someone applies DEET and the concentration fades over time, but a mosquito still manages to feed, the insect may begin associating that smell with a reward,\u201d per the press release. <\/p>\n<h3>Why repellents work \u2014 or so we thought<\/h3>\n<p>Vinauger explained in the press release that repellents were thought to be effective because of the ingredients\u2019 chemistry. For example, DEET smells bad to mosquitoes or the smell of DEET masks the smell of a person, he said. People assumed the insects couldn\u2019t do anything to fight that chemistry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut what we are showing is that the mosquito\u2019s brain can rewrite that response based on experience. What the insect has learned matters just as much as what the chemical does,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n<p>In the study, \u201cmosquitoes were restrained behind fabric mesh with a bag of warm blood positioned just out of reach.\u201d Then, the researchers allowed the insects to feed on the blood and \u201cintroduced the smell of DEET.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After feeding on the blood with the added smell, the team presented the mosquitoes with only the smell of DEET. \u201cMore than 60 percent of the insects tried to feed when presented with only the smell of DEET,\u201d the press release said. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=808\">House moves forward on new railway safety measures: What you need to know<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The researchers then presented the mosquitoes with two choices: one human hand coated with DEET, and another without. Untrained bugs chose the untreated hand, but the mosquitoes who were accustomed to the smell of DEET chose the hand covered in it.<\/p>\n<h3>Are bug bites inevitable?<\/h3>\n<p>If mosquitoes are smart enough to know that the smell of DEET is only masking a delicious meal, what can be done? Are we doomed to be subject to the insects\u2019 appetites all summer?<\/p>\n<p>The researchers say there is no need to panic. <\/p>\n<p>The findings do not mean people should stop using DEET, but rather change how they use it, per the press release.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInstead of applying a lot at once,\u201d Vinauger said, \u201cyou may want to reapply regularly so it\u2019s always active and providing continuous protection.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Other studies at Vinauger\u2019s lab show that mosquitoes can retain more than just the smell of DEET. According to another Virginia Tech press release from a 2018 study, mosquitoes remember the scent of people who swat at them and will avoid those hosts. <\/p>\n<p>Vinauger said mosquitoes are \u201cremarkable\u201d creatures, and his lab will continue to study them in the name of public health. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=806\">What Spencer Pratt and Zohran Mamdani do \u2014 and don\u2019t \u2014 have in common<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers used Pavlovian conditioning to see if repellent still works <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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