The buzz of a mosquito is a familiar sound during summertime, and now researchers in the UK are studying it to learn how the bugs communicate with each other.
The distinctive sound is a mating call produced by the beating of its wings. In a breeding swarm, there are 500 mosquitoes, only five of which are female, the BBC reports.
Now, scientists are examining the mosquitoes' ears - an organ smaller than a pinhead – to learn how the males can hear them.
The team hopes it will allow them to develop systems to lure mosquitoes away from populated areas, or design devices to catch and kill them, helping to reduce the spread of malaria and yellow fever.
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