A new research has explained that mosquitoes have evolved to use a triple threat of visual, olfactory and thermal cues to end up biting human beings. The study was published by researchers in the most recent online version of the journal Current Biology.

Mosquitoes begin with smelling its targets and once they get the smell, they see them. Then, they go near their targets so as to go close enough to identify the warmest spot on the body of their targets. After mosquitoes find the perfect spot to suck the blood, they land and then you feel the slight prick of bite.

Mosquitoes are capable of detecting CO2 that come out of your breath. Visual senses of mosquitoes are activated by CO2, which causes the bug to look for the source of CO2, like human or animal features.

After reaching close enough to its target, the mosquito starts detecting thermal clues to find an apt spot for blood-sucking. The study has revealed that mosquitoes can see human beings from a distance of between 5 and 15 meters. CO2 plumes can be detected by mosquitoes at distances further than 15 meters.

“In a previous experiment with fruit flies, we found that exposure to an attractive odor led the animals to be more attracted to visual features. This was a new finding for flies, and we suspected that mosquitoes would exhibit a similar behavior”, said Floris van Breugel, a postdoctoral scholar and first author of the study.

The study has showed the female mosquitoes only pay attention to visual features after they detect CO2.