Why can night light be bad for mosquitoes yet still bad for people nearby?

Answer: Delayed dormancy prep

Stronger biting saliva — No. Mosquitoes do not inject venom in the way a bee or wasp does; they inject saliva that changes clotting and immune response. Light pollution studies here are about timing, activity, and stored nutrients, not a stronger toxin. A useful comparison is caffeine in people: the same dose can shift sleep timing without making the drink chemically stronger. Likewise, light changes when mosquitoes act, not the 'strength' of a bite.

Predator sterility — Not supported. Predators can be affected by artificial light, and some lit habitats draw more spiders, bats, or parasitoids. But the human-risk twist in this mosquito story does not require sterilizing predators. It comes from postponing the mosquito's own seasonal switch, which can keep adult females active later. Predation belongs to the wider food-web story, not the core diapause mechanism.

Delayed dormancy prep ✓ — Correct. The short-term and long-term effects point in opposite directions. If light delays diapause, mosquitoes may stay active and biting later into fall. But the same delay can leave them worse prepared for winter because diapause normally includes fattening and metabolic changes. The surprise is that a stressor can increase near-term nuisance while reducing overwinter survival.