Meet the researcher who feeds hundreds of mosquitoes with his own arm daily.
In short: Dr. Perran Ross is a University of Melbourne researcher developing innovative methods to control insect pests. To sustain his laboratory colonies, he performs a unique task: offering his own arm as a blood meal to hundreds of mosquitoes at once.
Dr. Ross focuses his research on managing mosquito populations, specifically targeting species like the Yellow Fever Mosquito and the Australian Backyard Mosquito. In his lab, he maintains containers holding approximately 500 mosquitoes. Because only female mosquitoes bite, he manages the population to ensure they receive the blood necessary for their development.
Each individual mosquito consumes roughly two to three times its own body weight in blood during a feeding session. This hands-on approach to entomology provides the essential resources required for his ongoing work in pest control, as featured in Gardening Australia Season 35, Episode 36.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Mosquito Man Perran Ross | My Garden Path | Gardening Australia
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