Recent studies show that the way chicken smells repels mosquitoes that carry malaria. Mosquitoes that carry malaria smell their food to find it. Malaria damages your lungs and heart making it a very dangerous disease. Malaria is most common in sub-Saharan Africa. But these mosquitoes rarely bite chickens. Why? Because they smell bad. In fact, chicken smells so bad but these mosquitoes fly away. Some people say mosquitoes don’t care what they eat. But scientists have found out that mosquitoes can know what blood is good or bad.

To prove this theory, researchers conducted an experiment where they lured mosquitoes into huts with humans. However, the humans slept under a protective net. When the mosquitoes could not get to the humans they sought out other targets. The huts also had a trap covered with scents of other animals such as chicken, cattle and sheep. The next day mosquitoes were found trapped in all but the chicken-scented traps.

Researchers hope that this information can be used to develop cost effective mosquito repellent such as chicken scented candles that can be effective in protecting poor villagers who are the worst affected by malaria.

Source: https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/will-chicken-cologne-guard-you-malaria