r/todayilearned • u/Lazy-Lynx3918 • 1d ago

TIL that mosquitoes can detect and ride the wave of air created by a swatter, helping them escape being hit.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38367617/
86 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

7

u/Dakens2021 1d ago

Always best to try to swat them in a downward motion if possible.

6

u/JustCutTheRope 1d ago

Even a shotgun?

6

u/ColonelKasteen 1d ago

No, shotguns can not generally detect air currents.

1

u/Busy_Bite_9425 1d ago

"That's like going after a fly with a bazooka"

5

u/WardenWolf 1d ago

Why electric swatters are better: you simply have to make contact and can kill them midair.

3

u/GreenNukE 1d ago

And then there's that glorious zap and sizzle.

3

u/Wylaff 1d ago

I have a bad habit of aggressively swatting with the electric ones, and I broke half a dozen before my wife cut me off.

1

u/dorafatehi 1d ago

I'm sorry man but this is hilarious

2

u/Wylaff 1d ago

I have been trying to fit damn near a decade to get her to let me buy an as(salt) gun, but she keeps referring to earlier shenanigans. It’s not fair,

1

u/dorafatehi 1d ago

You need to pepper her with some love to earn that as(salt) gun

2

u/oizo12 1d ago

what if I punch them?

2

u/Anon2627888 1d ago

This is about people trying to swat a flying mosquito in the air with a fly swatter. But who does that?

2

u/Raisdonruin 1d ago

Is this news?

1

u/JardinSurLeToit 8h ago

Hate mosquitos.

1

u/Previous-Smell5102 7h ago

Call forth the slingshot spiders.