Word: mosquitoe
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Principally, sex and food. But the Army Quartermaster Corps, which has studied mosquitoes intimately in hopes of crossing soldiers off the mosquito menu, has discovered that the insects are complex psychologically, and react to a long list of stimuli. Last week it released its findings...
...Army's Peeping Toms confirmed the theory (TIME, April 16, 1945) that the girl mosquito's hum is sexual advertising. With tuning forks of the proper frequency, they posed as susceptible females, got chased by mosquito males...
...quadrimaculatus (malaria). Aëdes males responded best to a mating call of 350-750 vibrations per second; Anopheles preferred a lower range (320-480). In spite of overlapping of ranges, no male made passes at a female of the wrong species. The Army's conclusion: a female mosquito must have other attractions than...
Inner Calls. The study of hum appeal was pure science. More practical was the study of biting habits (female only). The Army learned that skin color makes little difference. A victim's hand bathed in green light was bitten as readily as the same hand bathed in red. Mosquitoes, probably, can see only large masses in black-&-white. They are repelled somewhat by a black or a white shirt, prefer intermediate shades. A female mosquito with eyes removed can find a victim; but with antennae removed, she goes hungry...
Army researchers (still continuing) had yet to produce the hoped-for result: a repellent based on mosquito psychology. But they had confirmed one popular theory: mosquitoes like some people better than others. The reason was still a mystery, except for the observation that mosquitoes dislike tough, hairy skins. Given a wide choice, they select a broad expanse of hairless human back...