Thanks for your very interesting responses, everyone.
I'm not sure how far away I was from the mosquitos, since I couldn't see th=
em, but my estimate would be around 3-4 meters, based on the landscape. If =
they were closer, I guess I would have been able to distinguish (and feel!)=
single mosquitoes now and then (and probably also get bit!).
So I would say that the humidity- or temperature-factors, doesn't sound tha=
t plausible. Besides, I spend some time localizing the sound, before I star=
ted recording and speaking, and during that time I didn't hear any changes,=
though I was breathing and heating, as Ray also points out.
It would be great to make the experiment with my voice in a speaker, but un=
fortunately that is not practical possible for me any longer. I should have=
thought of that while I was there!
I'm sorry I didn't realise that the dedicated people in this great group wo=
uld run FFT on my recording, so I must admit that I did some hi-pass filter=
ing on the recording at about 60 Hz, and also raised some dB at 1.4kHz to m=
ake the mosquitoes humming stand more out. I have put up the raw recording =
on SoundCloud now, in case anyone is interested:
http://snd.sc/NRNyPm
@John: Yes, I was standing at the same spot, pointing the handheld mic in t=
he same direction during the whole recording. (AudioTechnica BP4025 XY-mic =
in R=F8de Blimp, together with a Fostex FR-2LE recorder).
/Hans
--- In "Hans Christian" <> wr=
ote:
>
> Hi all
>
> Recently I was out in the Nationalpark Thy in Northern Denmark, to record=
ambiences just after sunset, when I came across an extremely weak humming-=
sound. Barely audible without the recorder gain at max. It turned out to be=
hundreds of mosquitoes inside a small forest. I started recording, and the=
n when I made the announcement into the mic, I noticed the mosquito-hum rai=
sing in pitch for a short moment. I made different experiments, and it seem=
ed they only reacted to my voice each time, and not any other sounds I made=
.
>
> Has anyone come across that phenomenon? Is it a known fact that mosquitos=
can "hear" humans, and distinguish them from other sounds? I've never hear=
d of that.
>
> I put up the recording on SoundCloud, but it probably requires some good =
headphones to hear the phenomenon:
>
> http://snd.sc/NqgQhY
>
> (I speak to the mosquitoes in danish, but don't bother. I'm not saying an=
ything very intelligent anyway. After all, they are only mosquitoes...)
>
>
> Hans Kock
>
"While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Krause.
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