Frequently asked questions
Are mosquitoes attracted to light? How dangerous is malaria? Does ultrasound wear off mosquitoes? Will climate change affect tick activity and Lyme disease?
These are just a few questions that the media regularly asks us. Of course, we find it important to supply the viewers, listeners and/or readers with facts based on the latest scientific insights. Below you can find a short selection of news items in and on TV, radio and newspapers as our contributions to public outreach. Feel free to bug us with your questions! (items are in Dutch).
TV
Jeugdjournaal, 22 Februari 2021
Our team asked everyone living in the Netherlands to send in dead mosquitoes for the 'muggenradar' project. More than 1000 people have already sent in an envelope. We would like to know which mosquitoes are overwintering in the Netherlands.
De Kennis van Nu, 2 October 2019
What are the risks of mosquito-borne diseases for The Netherlands? Presenters Diederik Jekel and Elisabeth van Nimwegen visited various labs in the country that investigate the role of the mosquito, the hosts and the pathogen, including the special safety lab in Wageningen.
Max Vakantieman, 13 August 2019
Sander Koenraadt explains Sybrand Niessen the risks of mosquito bites and diseases while going to your favorite summer holiday destination (from 19:45 onwards)
In this program for children, Tessa Visser and Sander Koenraadt explain two curious and enthusiast/scared presenters the risks of the tiger mosquito
In this medical program for children, Sander Koenraadt gets the help of two young volunteers to find out what makes you attractive to mosquitoes
De Kennis van Nu, 25 March 2015
Jeroen Spitzen tells Diederik Jekel what we know about the malaria mosquito based on the research performed in our lab
Radio
West Nile virus has reached the Netherlands, we have to be cautious. A conversation with Sander Koenraadt.
Omroep Gelderland, 17 November 2019
Three short documentaries that explain the work ongoing in our lab, and what happens with mosquitoes during the winter
In this interview, the question was asked how innocent the mosquito really is.
Various items that include our opinion on published works (BNR):
Newspaper
No more mosquitoes are needed to be sent to our lab. A send-in-your-dead-mosquitoes call from Sander Koenraadt and Rody Blom was so successful that the campaign had to be stopped early after 6000 received envelopes.
Marieke De Swart needs blood. The blood of 50 men, that is. Not for her personal use but for her entomological experiments with mosquitos.
Seven questions about the work we do on ticks and tick-borne encephalitis virus
De Volkskrant, 20 February 2016
Suriname versus Zika: a report on our trip to Surinam to work together with local colleagues to find out the origin and risks of Zika virus transmission.
De Gelderlander, 26 January 2016 (front page!)
Looking for dead mosquitoes for Muggenradar
Podcast
Ondertussen in de kosmos, 29 November 2020
Dutch podcast in which Sander Koenraadt explains all about the thriving mosquito biodiversity in the Netherlands.
Dutch podcast in which Jeroen Spitzen explains why we are no longer being allowed to complain about mosquitoes - what can you do yourself to prevent bites?
Webpages
'Muggen komen ook op bepaalde kleuren af', 04 February 2022
An article on the website of the Dutch popular science magazine 'Kijk' where Tessa Visser gives a response on the Nature Communications paper 'The olfactory gating of visual preferences to human skin and visible spectra in mosquitoes', by Alonso San Alberto et al. 2022.