Ahhh, summer… late nights spent at the ballpark, tasty meals grilled to perfection, and of course, endless time spent slapping at mosquitoes. These 10 fun facts about mosquitoes likely aren’t enough to sway your opinion of them, but at least they’ll make for a good conversation starter when you start slapping aggressively at your own body in front of people.
Learning about them won’t make them any less annoying, but at least they’re interesting!
We’ll start with the best news: not all mosquitoes are out to get you! While most adult female mosquitoes feed on blood to assist with egg production, adult male mosquitoes (and females of a few species) maintain a simple but delicious diet of plant nectar.
That makes them about 210 million years old. They've been mentioned throughout history, including in the works of Aristotle (around 300 BC) and in the writings of Sidonius Apollinaris (in 467 BC).
In most species, female mosquitoes are larger than their male counterparts and also live longer.
Studies show that mosquito reproduction generally occurs while the “couple” is airborne, with both sound and wingbeat frequencies being the main elements of attraction.
While that may be a lot of blood for the little pest, it would take about 1.2 million bites for them to drain all the blood from a human.
Mosquitoes have receptors on their antennae that detect the carbon dioxide released when humans exhale. Those plumes of CO2 rise into the air, acting as trails that the mosquitoes follow to find the source.
Female mosquitoes lay clusters of eggs on stagnant water or in areas that flood regularly. The eggs can hatch in as little as a half inch of water.
Males generally die within 10 days, while females can survive for six to eight weeks in ideal conditions. Females of species that hibernate may live up to six months.
At least, not very many of them. Mosquitoes make up less than one percent of a bat's diet. And purple martins, a bird popularly believed to be a mosquito predator, also eat very few mosquitoes. They prefer dragonflies and other insects.
Thanks to the Anopheles mosquito, which transmits malaria, mosquitoes are infamously deadly. Malaria kills more than one million people every year, primarily in Africa.
While they may annoy you on long summer nights, mosquitoes shouldn’t inhibit your ability to be outside. If you’ve got an abundance of these pesky biters,
give us a call to discuss prevention and maintenance.
American Pest Professionals
Muncie, IN: 765-288-7779
Marion, IN: 765-664-2926
Anderson, IN: 765-644-2533
Muncie Location:
2130 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. Muncie, IN 47303
Marion Location:
2003 W 4th St. Marion, IN 46953
Anderson Location:
2130 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. Muncie, IN 47303
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