🦟👂Behind-the-Scenes: Filming Mosquitoes Buzzing in Your Ear 👂🦟

Hey Deep Peeps! We thought you'd like to know what went into getting all that ear buzzing footage in our latest mosquito episode produced by Gabriela Quirós, Deep Look's supervising producer.

“We filmed our video 'Why Mosquitoes Buzz in Your Ear' in the lab of University of California, Davis medical entomologist Geoff Attardo. He studies Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, also known as dengue or yellow fever mosquitoes because they can transmit the viruses that cause those diseases. These mosquitoes are present in southern California and the Central Valley. And although most cases of dengue diagnosed in the state were acquired overseas, scientists are concerned that local mosquitoes could become vehicles for the disease.

My colleagues suggested it would be fun to start our video with a close up of a mosquito flying by an ear. Many of us have had mosquito buzzing disturb our sleep! So, I volunteered my ear. I brought with me to the lab a blanket, a sheet and my pillow from home and made myself comfortable on a stainless steel table.

Then Geoff stood next to me holding a vial containing a female Aedes aegypti mosquito. Only female mosquitoes drink our blood, so they’re the ones most likely to fly up to us. Geoff held the vial. Our series cinematographer Josh Cassidy adjusted the camera lens so that he was filming a nice close up of my ear. Then Geoff released the mosquito next to my ear. It took half a day and several tries to film the mosquito flying in front of my ear in slow motion that you see in the video. At that point, my ear was pretty red. That’s because one mosquito stood on it and bit me!

At Geoff’s lab we also filmed male mosquitoes flying in slow motion. I love this footage in which the mosquitoes seem to be floating rather than flying, with their black and white legs hanging down. We also filmed adult mosquitoes pushing their way out of the casing that protected them as they grew up underwater. It’s hard not to appreciate the effort that it took the mosquito, even though, of course, these mosquitoes unwittingly cause so much suffering.”

Related Filming Mosquitoes Posts from Our Archives

(Photo Credit: Josh Cassidy/KQED)

In the photo above, Gabriela patiently waits to get bitten by a mosquito for her episode about, "How Mosquitoes Use Six Needles to Suck Your Blood". In this post from our archives, learn more about how we filmed this episode, our most popular Deep Look video. It has 24 million+ views and counting!

Gabriela has offered up her arm numerous times to get bitten by blood sucking critters. Find out more about her adventures and background in this post from our archives.