Aug 19, 2026 · 23 min · 11 segments
What changes when the sun goes down? In the final episode of *From Sunrise to Starlight*, we're heading down a summer trail as dusk gives way to darkness, following the microbes—and the vectors and…
Heather McSherryHost
Okay, as we hit the trail, it's dusk, which feels like an in-between time because, for us, it is.
The working day is ending, summer heat finally starts loosening its grip, and the part of the day when we're expected to be active begins giving way to the part when we're supposed to wind down.
For example, predators and prey adjust their behavior around one another, and insects that attracted very little of our attention during the afternoon become more noticeable.
But saying that mosquitoes come out at night is one of those statements that sounds perfectly reasonable until you look more closely at their biology.
There's thousands of mosquito species, and they don't all keep the same schedule.
Their activity can be particularly strong during portions of the morning and late afternoon, although the exact pattern varies among species, locations, and environmental conditions.
Species involved in transmission of West Nile virus often become particularly active around dusk and into the night.
And many of the Anopheles mosquitoes, responsible for transmitting human malaria, feed predominantly during evening and nighttime hours.
For mosquito-borne transmission to happen, a competent mosquito has to be present, plus the pathogen has to be circulating, plus a susceptible host has to be available.
And somewhere in that chain of events, the behavior of vector and host has to bring them together.
In the morning and early afternoon, we're outside swimming or heading to work or picnicking.
During the hottest part of the afternoon, we usually spend more time indoors.
Okay, as we hit the trail, it's dusk, which feels like an in-between time because, for us, it is.
The working day is ending, summer heat finally starts loosening its grip, and the part of the day when we're expected to be active begins giving way to the part when we're supposed to wind down.
For example, predators and prey adjust their behavior around one another, and insects that attracted very little of our attention during the afternoon become more noticeable.
But saying that mosquitoes come out at night is one of those statements that sounds perfectly reasonable until you look more closely at their biology.
There's thousands of mosquito species, and they don't all keep the same schedule.
Their activity can be particularly strong during portions of the morning and late afternoon, although the exact pattern varies among species, locations, and environmental conditions.
Species involved in transmission of West Nile virus often become particularly active around dusk and into the night.
And many of the Anopheles mosquitoes, responsible for transmitting human malaria, feed predominantly during evening and nighttime hours.
For mosquito-borne transmission to happen, a competent mosquito has to be present, plus the pathogen has to be circulating, plus a susceptible host has to be available.
And somewhere in that chain of events, the behavior of vector and host has to bring them together.
In the morning and early afternoon, we're outside swimming or heading to work or picnicking.
During the hottest part of the afternoon, we usually spend more time indoors.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.