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)

De Buitendienst, 10 May 2019

In this program for children, Tessa Visser and Sander Koenraadt explain two curious and enthusiast/scared presenters the risks of the tiger mosquito

Topdoks, 28 October 2018

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

EenVandaag, 12 November 2020

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

NPO Radio1, 12 July 2017

In this interview, the question was asked how innocent the mosquito really is.

 

Newspaper

NOS, 26 February 2021

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.

Resource, 24 February 2020

Marieke De Swart needs blood. The blood of 50 men, that is. Not for her personal use but for her entomological experiments with mosquitos.

De Stentor, 18 July 2019

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.

PodNL, 22 April 2019

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.