Records and Facts

15 Pesky Facts about Mosquitoes

mosquito by John Tann, on Flickr
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic LicensePhoto by  John Tann

 

Mosquitoes are pesky little fellers

Mosquitoes are probably found in most areas of the world and are a nuisance no matter where you are.  They’re most commonly known for their blood sucking ability.  Let’s go over some more information on the nasty vampires.

15 Facts about Mosquitoes

  1. Mosquitoes are the mosty deadly of all insects. They are carriers of diseases such as dengue fever, malaria, encephalitis, yellow fever and West Nile virus.
  2. Mosquitoes are not able to transmit the HIV virus because they actually digest it along with the blood.
  3. Mosquitoes are repelled by citronella because it irritates their feet.
  4. Mosquitoes are more attracted to blonds rather than brunettes.
  5. They are also more attracted to children than they are adults.
  6. Calculations suggest you would have to be bitten by 1,120,000 mosquitoes at the same time to be totally drained of your blood.
  7. Only the female mosquitoes actually feed on blood, the males feed on nectar.
  8. In the London Underground, a new species of mosquito has evolved from the ones that flew in when the tunnels were dug hundreds of years prior.
  9. There is a chemical signal that tells mosquitoes when they are full so they can stop feeding.  During lab tests, this signal has been disabled causing them to eat until exploding.
  10. The self-proclaimed mosquito capital of Canada is Komarno, Manitoba.
  11. A mosquito’s wings buzz at 300-600 times per second
  12. They fly at only 1 to 1.5 miles an hour which is quite slow for an insect.
  13. Adults may only live to be five or six months old.
  14. Mosquitoes are able to detect carbon dioxide, it’s said they can detect it from up to 75 ft. away.
  15. They must have water to breed, this is where they lay their eggs.  It only takes a small puddle of water to get the job done.

So needless to say I won’t be visiting Komarno, Manitoba Canada anytime ever in my life.  I’ve also heard that people taking medications with blood thinning properties such as coumadin are more susceptible to mosquito bites.  Although there are no facts to back this one up, just what I’ve heard.

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