Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals on earth. I am so scared of these monsters! Let me share with you what I learned about them.
Learn about the 10 cool facts about mosquitoes with me in this new video. Scroll below to see the list and if you want to read the facts:
10 COOL FACTS ABOUT MOSQUITOES
10. Mosquitos are the deadliest animals on earth
They kill about 800,000 people per year with their infectious diseases; the most notably malaria. Humans are the 2nd most deadly animal, killing about 500,000 people per year.
9. 500 eggs from 1 mother
A female lays eggs in batches of up to 100 in cycles of every 3 days. A successful female will lay 4 or 5 batches before she dies. These batches of eggs float in the water as they develop into larvae. Also, mosquitoes only live up to 2 months long.
8. Only female mosquitos bite
Mosquitoes mostly eat flower nectar and leaves. However, the females need a feast of blood after mating to get enough calories to produce their eggs. A mosquito can bite several times in 1 night, and this is how they spread disease from person to person.
7. Population Replacement
There is a plan to replace the dangerous mosquitos in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia by introducing genetically engineered versions incapable of carrying pathogens like dengue fever.
The pathogen-resistant mosquitoes will mate with the wild mosquitoes, and over time, the entire population should carry the pathogen-resistant genes.
6. Mosquitos follow CO2
Mosquitos find you by smelling the carbon dioxide from your breath when you breathe out. Mosquitos have a special organ called a maxillary palp that helps them follow your breath.
They also can see movement and have thermal sensors. They only fly 2 KMH, so if you keep moving, you should be able to avoid their tracking abilities.
5. Malaria is a parasite
Malaria is actually a microorganism that feeds on your liver and red blood cells. It is so small it can fit inside of a red blood cell and eat it from the inside out.
4. Mosquitoes are not born with malaria
Malaria is a human-to-human spread disease. You might think that mosquitos inherently carry malaria, but it is not true.
A mosquito has to bite a human who has Malaria first, then bite another human to spread it. If you are in the middle of the jungle all alone, you don’t have to worry about catching malaria.
3. Fish kill the most mosquitos
They will eat the larvae in the water that the mosquitos breed in. Spiders, birds, frogs, and Bats also do a good job. If you have a pond on your land, stocking it with the “mosquito fish” can put a big dent in your mosquito population.
2. Alcohol likely causes more bites
Drinking can increase your skin temperature by expanding your blood vessels and capillaries. Also, it can cause more sweating, which mosquitoes can detect.
This is not a hard fact though, because drinking also causes you to sweat Thiamine, which is a moderate mosquito repellent. Maybe you can take vitamin b1 (thiamine) tablets to get the benefit without drinking.
1. Use DEET spray
D-E-E-T, or “diethyltoluamide” is slightly toxic to fish, but it does not bioaccumulate. In a 2015 study, volunteers using DEET had 0 bites for a 6-hour test. The people who used natural alternatives like Citronella oil were bitten in less than 10 minutes.
This means DEET is at least 36 times more effective than Citronella Oil. So if you are in a mosquito danger area, you probably should not mess around with the natural alternatives.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In conclusion, mosquitoes are more than just pesky insects; they play a complex role in various ecosystems but are also vectors for serious diseases like malaria, dengue, and Zika.
Armed with specialized mouthparts for piercing and feeding, they’ve coexisted with humans for thousands of years. While often vilified, ongoing research aims to understand mosquitoes better, both to mitigate their harmful impact and to appreciate their role in the ecological web.
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