Humans vary in their ability to elicit biting responses from Simulium venustum (Diptera:Simuliidae)

Human subjects were exposed to Simulium venustum (sensu lato) to determine whether biting rates differed among individuals. Tests with S. venustum collected from a CO2-baited target demonstrated that one subject was consistently bitten more often than another. For each individual, biting increased with the differential between skin and ambient temperature. Latex rubber membranes that had been worn against the skin of subjects and then stretched onto a warned aluminum block were always bitten less often than control membranes. Results lend credibility to popular notions that some people are bitten more readily than others and show that biting rates are partially dependent on interindividual variation in skin secretions and skin temperature.