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  1. #1
    imscotty's Avatar
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    Default Mosquito Questions - Is there an Entomologist in the House?

    This summer during my section hike of the PCT some days the mosquitos were really giving me hell. It seemed at times that the same mosquitos would follow me for mile after mile on the trail, buzzing my head crawling into my ear, sucking my blood, etc.

    Can a mosquito really follow a hiker for miles. or were they tag-teaming me in some kind of mosquito relay race? I would really like to know

    Another thing, at one point I had to take a pee break and stepped a few feet off the trail to do my business. Suddenly the buzzing stopped. Heavenly bliss, I finally lost them. After a minute, I step back on the trail. They were waiting there for me and pestered me for another several miles.

    Are mosquitos really smart enough to wait by the trail for hikers? How do they do all that with their little pin-sized brain? Inquiring minds want to know.
    “For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
    the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


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    Although it depends greatly on conditions (that is: wind), most mossies have a range of about 2-3 miles. They can't really fly much quicker than 1.5mph unless a tailwind aids their cause. It's more likely you had different mosquitoes each taking turns! Oh, and no, they aren't smart enough to wait. They're merely hardwired, following instinct. The males chase the females; the females chase us.

  3. #3
    imscotty's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Uriah View Post
    Although it depends greatly on conditions (that is: wind), most mossies have a range of about 2-3 miles. They can't really fly much quicker than 1.5mph unless a tailwind aids their cause. It's more likely you had different mosquitoes each taking turns! Oh, and no, they aren't smart enough to wait. They're merely hardwired, following instinct. The males chase the females; the females chase us.
    Thank you Uriah. I only hike at about 1.5 mph. I could stay fast enough to keep most of them from landing, but not fast enough to lose them.
    “For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
    the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


    John Greenleaf Whittier

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    Quote Originally Posted by Uriah View Post
    ...They can't really fly much quicker than 1.5mph unless a tailwind aids their cause. It's more likely you had different mosquitoes each taking turns!...
    That explains why mosquitoes were not much of a problem when I hiked the JMT... so long as I was moving.

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    Mokitos mainly have CO2 detectors as well as infrared sensors.
    The first one they use for detecting living breathing bodies within a range of maybe 10-15 meters, the second one they use to find the sweet spots on your Skin.
    They have a set of other sensors, like, sound detectors to hear the buzz of their mates, primitive eyes to look after bright or dark colors, and sensors for odors, which they use, given a choice, to select the target that fits them best.
    No brain in a Moskito that would be worth speaking of.
    (at least thats how it works for our beasts here)

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    I'm not lost. I'm exploring.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by nsherry61 View Post
    Thanks for the interesting article nsherry. It sounds like as long as I don't exhale, I should be alright
    “For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
    the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”


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  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by imscotty View Post
    Thanks for the interesting article nsherry. It sounds like as long as I don't exhale, I should be alright
    Only if you're alone... that was one of the points of the article. Even if you don't exhale, it only takes other animals around you to exhale for the critters to find you.


    For those that don't want to read the whole article, I'll try to sum it up...

    The theory goes something like this:
    1. A mosquito determines that an animal is somewhere around when it can first "smell" the CO2 the animal exhales.
    2. Once they know an animal is around, they use their poor eye sight to locate the animal by investigating contrasting colors.
    The absence of CO2 prevents them from wasting their time looking at every contrasting rock and tree.
    3. Once they are close enough, they can then track you by your heat signature.

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    Yes, apparently wearing cammo is one of the most effective non-chemical ways of hiding from mosquitoes. Go figure.

    Anybody have any experience trying out the effectiveness of cammo against mosquitoes?
    I'm not lost. I'm exploring.

  10. #10

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    FWIW, I serendipitously noticed that my mid shelter has a weird flying bug self-bailing feature, and with the peak vent and door latched open and a few inches of perimeter gap all around - no inner net tent. It seems that the ~75% fly coverage prevents ~75% of the bugs from entering, and of the 25% that do enter, most shift their focus away from me and toward escape. They start flitting against the walls, eventually up and out the large peak vent. Seems like their instincts kicking in: adversion to trapped spaces, elevate when threatened, and prioritization of survival over nourishment - all makes sense to me.

    First noticed this during the spring black fly season on the Green Mountains AT. I was wearing a headnet with a cloud of black flies around my head and wondered how I was going to eat my dinner. Sat in my mid with door and peak vent open and was surprised I could eat in relatively peace - can't say it was perfect, but for me it sure beats wearing a headnet, taking shoes on/off and zipping in/out of my inner net tent, or using chemical bug repellents. I only use my inner net tent for sleeping now (still have a creepy crawly phobia while obliviously asleep), it stays collapsed the rest of the time.

    Worked similarly during mild mosquito conditions in the Green Mountains - but there's been bad droughts where/when I've camped for the last couple of years so I have yet to test it in truly nasty skeeter conditions. Also read numerous posts of other mid users stating that flying bugs tend to not bother them preferring to flit around in the peak instead - guess the key is having a large peak vent.

  11. #11
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    That's interesting about the mid shelter. My interest has been peaked a bit lately in the pyramid / teepee type shelters ( i assume that's what you mean)

    Does anyone make a really super lightweight version...maybe dyneema?

  12. #12

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    Mountain Laurel Designs, Zpacks, and Hyperlight Moutain Gear (to name a few) make dyneema floorless mids. As far as the bug-self-bailing thing goes, it's probably worth noting that my Gatewood Cape has a relatively large open peak vent (it's a poncho head hole) whereas most mids have small downward-facing rainproof vents. I think the very obvious 'skylight' effect has something to do with luring the bugs up and out.

    Floorless mids are also my favorite in wet weather too...but that's for another thread.

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