Will mosquitoes bite through a mosquito net if skin is pressed against it?

Question

Usually it's hard to put up travel mosquito nets so they give you enough space to turn in bed. I wonder if mosquitoes will bite through a mosquito net if skin is pressed against it, like when a foot is touching it. Does anyone either have experience with this or research on this? And will it depend on the impregnation and/or how long ago this has been?

Btw, the wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito_net says they can bite through the net, but when going to the resource behind that quote, there is no such information, even when browsing a bit more (all the way to http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/malaria_worldwide/reduction/itn.html) on the linked site.

The consensus on random websites does seem to be they can bite through thin clothing at least, but real research on biting through nets would be very helpful.

Answer 1

Mosquitoes can bite through any loosely woven fabric, which includes mosquito nets. They can also find their way through tiny tears in said mosquito nets.

When traveling the best course of prevention is to tuck the mosquito net under the edges of the mattress. This helps keep the netting a bit taught and not sagging. Granted if you toss & turn a lot, you could still end up against the net and feed the next generation of mosquitoes. (the only cure for that is duct taping yourself to middle of the mattress ;-)

Answer 2

I have been bitten when sleeping in a netted bed that was not roomy enough around the feet. I believe it was because my feet were touching the net. The net was tucked in, but the slope at the foot of the bed was too shallow so the net touched my feet.

My solution: since I had mosquito repellent with me for the daytime, spray some on my feet for extra protection. I did not get any bites up by my head where the netting was held open by a large ring above the bed.

Answer 3

Yes

Source : I live in Delhi (plenty of mosquitoes here) and have seen this happening my self.