Abstract
Many mosquito species live close to humans where females feed on human blood. While male mosquitoes do not feed on blood, it has long been recognized that males of some species can be attracted to human hosts. To investigate how commonly male mosquitoes are attracted to humans, we review existing literature and performed human-baited field trials. We then undertook further laboratory and tent experiments to examine attraction to humans in males and females of three common Aedes species. We find that male attraction to humans is restricted to a handful of species including Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus. The presence of male host-seeking behaviour in some species may promote mating success and contribute to these species being globally invasive. Male and female Ae. aegypti show similar patterns in preferential attraction between different human subjects. We also demonstrate that mosquito repellents applied to human skin repel male mosquitoes. Our findings provide insights into mosquito evolution and behaviour and have implications for mosquito control programs, particularly those that involve monitoring of the male mosquito population.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
