Imagine putting your arm in a live colony of mosquitoes on a regular basis.

That’s everyday life for Bryan Giordano, a Biotechnology student here at Brock University.

Bryan, and the department of Biological Sciences, will be featured this Friday on CBC’s Marketplace after agreeing to test a new product that could potentially keep what some refer to as the “nasty critters” away.

“We were very excited and surprised when first contacted by CBC who
heard of our laboratory and research through Dr. (Fiona) Hunter’s appearance on The Nature of Things, as well as our last broadcast with the Discovery Channel,” Giordano said.

“We gladly accepted their proposal to test a new mosquito
repellant product as we thought this would be a great way to showcase
our research and our beautiful new lab here at Brock.”

And as for using his own arm as feed for the mosquitoes, Giordano knows it’s all for the greater good.

“When I tell people that I maintain, and sometimes arm feed, a live colony of
mosquitoes people often wonder why I would feed and care for insects
that cause such a nuisance?

This program is a great example of the unique experiments we are able to perform using our mosquitoes. I also hope that by doing so we are able to raise awareness of mosquito-borne disease, and emphasize the importance of protecting yourself when going outdoors during peak mosquito feeding times,” Giordano added.

Marketplace airs this Friday, March 13, at 8 p.m on CBC.