This is not easy but if you are using the Hemotek artificial feeders, then cover the membrane in some thin material that has been allowed to take up a sweaty smell (e.g. place pieces of nylon tights in your shoe during the day, then wrap these around the feeder when ready to feed). Take the mosquito's sugar source away for a few hours prior to feeding too.

What type of artificial feeder are you using? You may be able to wear gloves made of latex (or your material of choice) for a while, then stretch them over the membrane/blood source to induce feeding.

I agree with the suggestions given by other researchers. I usually try multiple things including starving the mosquitoes for 12-24 hours and transferring the odors the artificial skin by rubbing it on the skin.

@Craig, Daniel and Faiz, thanks for your responses. I realize that once the mosquitoes are starved adequately, they will feed. I maintain them on 5% sugar and starve them for 2-4 hours. I also covered the feeder with black socks that i have worn for a while to help attract the mosquitoes to the feeder. This has worked so far.

Thanks

If the feeder is not in a biosafety cabinet and it can be safely done for the operator, also breathing heavily on the mosquitoes helps. They like it and get excited. Starving them for a few hours is also pivotal (we starved them overnight if the feed is in the morning).

Corrado Minetti, Thanks for your response. The feeder is not in a safety cabinet. I'll have to try the breathing, sounds interesting. I couldn't agree with you more on the starving.

For Culex quinquefasciatus I used to starve them for 24h prior to blood feeding. For blood feeding, I would pour a few mLs of sheep blood on the bottom of a upside down glass container, then cover the blood with parafilm (eliminating mostly of the bubbles), fill the glass container with warm water and then put it on top of a screen cage with starved mosquitoes (the parafilm should be in close contact with the screen of the cage). In just a few minutes I would blood-feed hundreds of mosquitoes using that technique. If I wanted exclusively females, I would just not offer them sugar-water for an extra 24h following blood-feeding, then all males would die from dehydration.

It depends on the mosquitoes. In my experience, Culex usually feed really well on chicken blood in the Hemotek, but Aedes mosquitos are a lot pickier, at least with sheep blood. Starvation helps. Sometimes you can try refeeeding the unfed females if the feed rate is low.

Hi Bernice

Ref.1 = A protocol for membrane feeding assays

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwik0e2f2_fgAhUD3qQKHcd7Au4QFjACegQIBxAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmalariaworld.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fmwjournal%2Farticle%2FMWJ%2520%25202013_4_16%2520%2528Suppl%2529%2520.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2pmGVWDuddU3P9eo1X5SFW

Ref.2 = Evaluation of a simple polytetrafluoroethylene

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Ref.3 = A novel mosquito feeding system for routine blood-feeding

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Ref.4 = Malaria parasites adapt to mosquito feeding times

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwik0e2f2_fgAhUD3qQKHcd7Au4QFjAHegQIABAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedaily.com%2Freleases%2F2018%2F10%2F181004110052.htm&usg=AOvVaw0Qc4hcTMQ8l54ZlGj-XiOk

Ref.5 = Malaria parasites adapt to mosquito feeding times

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwik0e2f2_fgAhUD3qQKHcd7Au4QFjAHegQIABAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedaily.com%2Freleases%2F2018%2F10%2F181004110052.htm&usg=AOvVaw0Qc4hcTMQ8l54ZlGj-XiOk

= Membrane feeding

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=9&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwik0e2f2_fgAhUD3qQKHcd7Au4QFjAIegQIAhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fparasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com%2Farticles%2F10.1186%2Fs13071-016-1469-6&usg=AOvVaw0GcHDSUbOrHAmtBC48Lz8_

= Mosquito Feeding Assays

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=11&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjew9H0ivjgAhXHL1AKHdUiBUY4ChAWMAB6BAgJEAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fjournals.plos.org%2Fplosone%2Farticle%3Fid%3D10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0042821&usg=AOvVaw33Uz6ejGGZf3REGsZPzFFW

= Mosquito Modifications: New Approaches

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= Mosquito direct membrane feeding assay

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=19&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjew9H0ivjgAhXHL1AKHdUiBUY4ChAWMAh6BAgDEAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.documentation.ird.fr%2Fhor%2Ffdi%3A010072311&usg=AOvVaw3sb8RUqjHDNGKYEnrf7BP9

# 10 = A novel multiple membrane blood‐feeding

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= adaptation to peridomestic mosquito

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=21&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjB66LUj_jgAhXDJ1AKHVNYDKM4FBAWMAB6BAgJEAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwwwnc.cdc.gov%2Feid%2Farticle%2F10%2F10%2F03-0846_article&usg=AOvVaw3aZGT1wHsl4hWItJRwv2eK

= Aedes aegypti feed

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=22&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjB66LUj_jgAhXDJ1AKHVNYDKM4FBAWMAF6BAgHEAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.denguevirusnet.com%2Faedes-aegypti.html&usg=AOvVaw1kQJ9WfcRDIzO6k14kM_jx

= Escaping blood-fed malaria mosquitoes

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=23&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjB66LUj_jgAhXDJ1AKHVNYDKM4FBAWMAJ6BAgIEAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjeb.biologists.org%2Fcontent%2F220%2F20%2F3751.full.pdf%3Fwith-ds%3Dyes&usg=AOvVaw2GfM7qfQwSGpuXg4cg6dof

= Bloodsucking Adaptations

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=23&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjB66LUj_jgAhXDJ1AKHVNYDKM4FBAWMAJ6BAgIEAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjeb.biologists.org%2Fcontent%2F220%2F20%2F3751.full.pdf%3Fwith-ds%3Dyes&usg=AOvVaw2GfM7qfQwSGpuXg4cg6dof

# = supplemental feeding domesticate mosquitoes

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=30&ved=2ahUKEwjB66LUj_jgAhXDJ1AKHVNYDKM4FBAWMAl6BAgFEAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fjournals.sagepub.com%2Fdoi%2Fpdf%2F10.1177%2F147470491201000315&usg=AOvVaw1D4yi6LbNsqNwbODtTQLOZ

Laith Al-Ani , Thanks for sharing the documents. They make an interesting reading

keep the mosquitoes starved for 24 hours prior to blood feeding

Keep the mosquitoes unfeedable for 24 hours, and use the chicks' skin on the feeder