Study Reveals Mosquitoes Can Be Conditioned to Associate DEET with Blood Meals
A recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology has uncovered that mosquitoes can be conditioned to associate the smell of DEET, a common insect repellent, with a blood meal. Conducted by Claudio Lazzari and his team at the University of Tours, France, the research demonstrates that mosquitoes exposed to DEET during a blood meal can develop a higher propensity to bite when encountering DEET again. This finding challenges the traditional understanding of DEET as merely a repellent, suggesting that it may also have a cognitive effect on mosquitoes. The study involved conditioning mosquitoes with various stimuli, including heat and DEET exposure, to observe changes in their biting behavior. The results showed that mosquitoes trained with DEET during feeding were more likely to attempt biting when exposed to DEET later, compared to those not conditioned in this manner. 
