Aedes scapularis mosquitoes are from the tropics and can carry yellow fever. Entomologist Lawrence Reeves recently identified them among mosquitoes he collected near Everglades National Park in 2019.
In 2015, the mosquito-borne virus Zika exploded in South America. Health experts predicted it would erupt in Africa. But a major outbreak never happened. Now scientists think they understand why.
Some of the reasons for the surge are expected — heavy rainfalls create lots of pools where mosquitoes can breed. But there are some surprising factors, like the Zika virus.
Scientists are trying to flip the script on control of mosquitoes in an effort to combat dengue fever. Instead of trying to wipe them out, they're infecting them with bacteria.
Female mosquitoes searching for a meal of blood detect people partly by using a special olfactory receptor to home in on our sweat. The finding could lead to new approaches for better repellents.