A 2019 scientific study has resurfaced online after revealing that the hit dubstep track Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites by Skrillex could help keep mosquitoes at bay.
Published in the journal Acta Tropica, the research examined how sound waves in music could influence the behaviour of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes — the species responsible for spreading yellow fever, dengue, Zika, and chikungunya.
Researchers exposed the insects to the song for 10 minutes and recorded significant changes in their behaviour. Female mosquitoes took longer to initiate attacks on hosts, made fewer feeding attempts, and visited hosts less frequently compared to those in silence.
The scientists chose Skrillex’s track because of its contrasting low and high frequency elements, which they believed could disrupt insect sensory systems. They found that the music interfered with the mosquitoes’ ability to detect and respond to host cues.
“In insects, low-frequency vibrations facilitate sexual interactions, whereas noise disrupts the perception of signals from conspecifics and hosts,” the study stated. “The observation that such music can delay host attack, reduce blood feeding, and disrupt mating provides new avenues for the development of music-based personal protective and control measures against Aedes-borne diseases.”
In addition to feeding behaviour, the research noted a drop in mating activity among the insects. According to the authors, female mosquitoes exposed to the music were less likely to engage in reproductive interactions, suggesting that sound could play a role in mosquito population control.
On social media, the study’s reappearance has sparked both intrigue and humour. One user on X, formerly Twitter, joked: “Imagine mosquitoes evolving to hate EDM, bet they’re massive Swifties tho.” Another quipped: “No way? Bout to play that on repeat all summer long.”
While the findings are promising, scientists caution that the research is preliminary. The controlled laboratory setting may not fully replicate real-world environments, and further studies would be needed to determine whether such music could serve as a practical tool for mosquito bite prevention.
Still, the idea of music doubling as pest control has caught the public’s imagination — and might just give some festival-goers and late-night campers another reason to turn up the bass.
