Question:
I have a student who has done research for a science
project on mosquito/insect repellents (manufactured and natural). Now he
has to do an experiment. He wants to test the repellents on mosquitoes
(from a vantage point because of West Nile Virus). He said he read that
Limburger cheese attracts them, but it has not worked to date. I
suggested he try another insect to avoid any contact with
mosquitoes. What other insect could be used (flies?) and where are they
available for this type of testing.
Replies:
Not my area of expertise but I would think that some sort of fruit fly would
be easier. You might try contacting an industrial entomology lab (e.g. S.C.
Johnson Wax) or an academic entomology lab (e.g.
http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/entfacts/struct/ef621.htm ). I
think drosophila melanogaster species are commonly used
http://home.clara.net/xenotoca/fruitflies.htm. They are probably
commercially available at a reasonable cost, a lot is known about their care
and feeding. Any one of these resources could probably direct you to
appropriate resources.
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