mosquito metaphor

[jackgore887]

Hi,

writing an article for a magazine, and one sentence has me stumped:

"Whilst products labelled as ‘marine’ may be to yacht owners as lights are to mosquitoes, ..."

Is the mosquito metaphor valid? I'm sure I've read bits before with a similar message, but this doesn't seem to roll of the tongue quite right.

Thanks in advance,
Jack

 

[probus]

Many if not all flying insects are attracted to lights at night, but mosquitoes find mammals to bite mainly by following the concentration gradients of exhaled carbon dioxide. So your metaphor would work if you change mosquito to insect.

 

[5jj]

"Whilst products labelled as ‘marine’ may be to yacht owners as lights are to mosquitoes, ..."

It would be more natural to me with moths rather than mosquitoes.

 

[jutfrank]

I think it's awful. I don't think you want to carry the bloodsucking connotation of mosquitos. Plus, as probus has pointed out, mosquitos aren't attracted to light anyway.

With moths, the usual metaphor is 'a moth to a flame', which carries the idea of attraction that you want but also carries what I presume is the unwanted connotation of self-destruction.

I would suggest the established simile 'like bees to honey'.