Can Mosquitos Cope With the Speed of an Air Cooler Fan?

As we look for new and innovative ways to fend off mosquitos, we usually don't consider their speed as they fly through the air heading straight for our skin—but we should.

It's been documented that mosquitos are weak fliers. They can't fly faster than 1.5 miles per hour, and since air coolers have wind speeds of at least 10 times that, they can be used in combination with approved repellants to reduce exposure to mosquitos.

Mosquitos and "Fan-generated wind"

Air coolers have powerful fan blowers, so if you sit in close proximity to the cooler and wear mosquito repellent, you're arming yourself with great protection against mosquitos. In fact, an interesting study was conducted in 2003 in an area in Michigan that is especially prone to mosquitos. Although the study wasn't specifically about the role of a fan (or air cooler fan) in relation to the speed at which mosquitos fly, the researchers discovered that mosquito repellent combined with “fan-generated wind” did reduce mosquito bites.

Because the findings revealed an important correlation between the wind speed of a fan and the flying speed of mosquitos, the study concluded more research was required to continue investigating this relationship. 

Air coolers have powerful fan blowers that essentially produce “fan-generated wind," which the researchers stated was an important part of reducing mosquito bites in conjunction with proper repellent: “We recommend that fan-generated wind should be pursued as a practical means of protecting humans or pets from mosquitos in the backyard setting.”

So in addition to checking the size, weight, power, color, style, and price of an air cooler, you might want to add fan speed to your list of considerations when making a purchase.

Here a few models of air coolers along with their wind speeds per hour, all of which greatly overpower the mosquito’s maximum speed of 1.5 miles per hour: