Did You Know These Three Things About Mosquitoes?

It is rare to come across an adult who admits they know little about mosquitoes. These killer insects are too deadly to go without notice. But the truth is that there is still a lot to discover about the annoying pests. This post will uncover some three dirty little secrets which the mosquito family would want you to remain ignorant about- if they were intellectually capable of that. Read on to find out more.

Not all mosquitoes will bite you

You’re probably already doubting whether this is accurate information. However, it is true. First, not all mosquitoes need a blood meal to survive in life. What do they do? The following post explains more about this:

Female anopheline mosquitoes interact with you when in search of a blood meal. They use the proteins in blood to assist with egg production. In her search for essential proteins, the female malaria mosquito bites – she doesn’t sting. Male malaria mosquitoes are harmless and play a critical role in the pollination of plants.

Toxorhynchites mosquitoes, also known as elephant mosquitoes, do not have biting mouth parts. Their larvae are, however, actively carnivorous and eat other mosquito larvae. In certain conditions they have been used for biological control.

It is also worth noting some mosquito look-alikes, notably crane flies. These large flies cannot bite, but are commonly mistaken for gigantic mosquitoes. Read more at The Conversation

There are different types of mosquitoes

This one is probably a bit more obvious. They differ in their looks, their behavior, and their names too. That means you shouldn’t think of all mosquitoes as a nuisance. In fact, some actually help with pollination as the following post explains:

Mosquitoes are generally thought of as the noisy nuisance that pesters you at night. But they differ greatly in their biology and distribution. There are around 3,500 mosquito species belonging to five genera.

The whiny mosquito that instantly comes to mind is most likely a member of the Culex genus, which is active at night. These mosquitoes lay their eggs as egg rafts in a range of different water bodies (breeding sites)…

In contrast, Aedes mosquitoes are mostly encountered during the day. These mosquitoes are black with distinctive white or silvery markings and breed in containers such as tyres and tree holes.

They lay single eggs on the damp sides of a water body rather than directly onto water. These mosquitoes are capable of transmitting a range of deadly viruses including dengue, yellow fever and Zika.

Unlike Aedes and Culex mosquitoes, Anopheles mosquitoes make only a soft buzzing sound and hence are often referred to as the “silent killers”. Read more at News 24

They don’t transmit COVID

Since 2020, Covid-19 has been a buzzword. Many people would want to know how best to keep themselves safe from the virus. You’ve probably wondered whether mosquitoes can pass on covid from one person to the other. Here are your answers:

Good news: There is currently no evidence that mosquitoes can transmit COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization. The novel coronavirus spreads primarily through respiratory droplets, which are released into the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Blood doesn’t really factor into that equation, and no cases of COVID-19 originating from mosquitoes have been reported so far.

“Mosquitoes don’t transmit everything; they transmit a certain, relatively small number of diseases,” explains Stephen Gluckman, M.D., an infectious disease expert and medical director of Penn Global Medicine. “That has to do with the ability of that disease to live in the mosquito.”

In order to spread from a mosquito to a person, a virus must be compatible with both human and insect bodies. But many respiratory viruses just don’t have the ability to replicate inside insects, Dr. Gluckman says, and SARS-CoV-2 (thankfully!) appears to be one of them.  Read more at Prevention

There’s always something new to learn about nature and mosquitoes are no different. But getting the right information can help you to protect yourself and your family from the harmful effects of this bug.

At Backyard Bug Patrol, we take pride in our ability to offer a barrier spray program that keeps your home mosquito-free. Get in touch with us for the best service in town.