Have a problem with mosquitos? Hang out with chickens, according to one study. Researchers looked at the behaviour of mosquitoes in sub-Saharan Africa. The mosquito prefers human blood to other mammals but will feed on cattle, sheep and goats. It avoids chickens, however. Having a live chicken in a cage next to the bed of a sleeping human led to fewer mosquitos than when there was no chicken in the bedroom. The researchers also found the same trend when they made extracts of chicken blood and feathers. The mosquitos didn’t simply prefer humans over chickens but were repelled by the chickens.
The significance for Canadian farmers? The study is one of many that show how insects, including ones that eat crops, respond to smells. Insects are attracted to certain smells and repelled by others. This knowledge can be used to develop repellents and also to plan intercrops in fields to help repel pests.
Chicken volatiles repel host-seeking malaria mosquitoes. Kassahun T. Jaleta, Sharon Rose Hill, Göran Birgersson, Habte Tekie and Rickard Ignell. Malaria Journal. July, 2016.
- Janet Wallace