Insect offers mozzie shield

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A new protection from mosquitoes could be at hand after researchers found a way to mimic one of their predators.

Scientists in Israel have found that an aquatic insect known as a backswimmer, which is similar to a water boatman, releases a scent that scares off mosquitoes - although it cannot be picked up by the human nose.

Backswimmers prey on the larvae of the biting insects, and so female mosquitoes tend to avoid areas where they detect chemicals given off by the predators.

The researchers now hope to use their findings to develop new repellents.

It is hoped that unlike other repellents, which need to be used all over the body and can damage clothing, smaller amounts of repellents based on chemicals released by backswimmers could keep mosquitoes at bay.

Professor Leon Blaustein, an ecologist at Haifa University in Israel, said applying the chemicals to sites where mosquitoes breed could help to control their numbers.

"We know that many mosquito species chemically detect and avoid pools containing specific predators. As prey, they have evolved the ability to detect these cues or risk of predation," Professor Blaustein said.

"The current chemicals are not long-lasting, so chemists would need to come up with a way to make an application 'slow release' to eliminate the need for frequent applications.

"There may also be even more effective predator-released chemicals that we have not found yet."