Mosquito Facts

MOSQUITO TERMINATORS: Serving Charlotte, Greensboro, and Cary, NC

Call today for your free estimate!  704-770-8215 or 336-420-9867

 

Helpful Facts from Mosquito Terminators on how to keep yourself safe…

 

When most people think of mosquitoes, they think of that annoying mosquito sound and that even more annoying mosquito bite. Believe it or not, there is much more to mosquitoes than you think – and you’re about to learn all those mosquito facts!

 

Mosquito Anatomy

If you’re like most people, you’re so busy swatting when you see a mosquito that you’ve never had the time to examine one. At a glimpse, mosquitoes look like angry little critters that want nothing more than to suck your blood and make your itchy skin miserable. While that might be true in a sense, here are some of the mosquito facts you may have missed while you were busy trying to kill that dreaded mosquito.

• The three main parts of a mosquito are its head, its abdomen, and its thorax 
• A mosquito has two eyes that make up the majority of its head. Each eye is filled with little lenses so it can see from multiple directions at once – thus making it almost impossible to swat that dreaded mosquito 
• A mosquito has one pair of wings coming off its thorax 
• A mosquito has six legs 
• Upon close inspection, a mosquito’s abdomen has distinct markings that make it possible to tell which species it is 
• Mosquitoes are approximately 16 millimeters long 
• The average weight of a mosquito is about 2.5 milligrams

Did you ever notice any of those mosquito facts before? If not, you’ll be sure to notice them the next time you hear that annoying mosquito sound!

Mosquito Gender Roles

You may think all mosquitoes are out to get you, but that’s simply not true. Similar to other insect species like the praying mantis, only female mosquitoes are a threat to humans. As you read through the differences between female mosquitoes and male mosquitoes, be prepared for some surprises!

• Both male and female mosquitoes eat flower nectar for nourishment 
• Female mosquitoes bite humans and animals so they can receive protein. This protein helps them lay eggs, thus bringing more blood-sucking mosquitoes into the world 
• A female mosquito has a ridged proboscis to pierce human and animal skin. Because of the serrated edges of her proboscis, her bite usually goes undetected until the itchiness sets in 
• A male mosquito has a proboscis, but it does not have ragged edges for biting 
• Male mosquitoes are slightly smaller than females 
• Only female mosquitoes make that annoying mosquito sound that puts you on red alert

It’s amazing to see the difference genders can make, isn’t it!? Now you can rest at ease when you see a mosquito that doesn’t make noise and only save your jumping for those pesky females that love to buzz before they bite.

Mosquito Control

The most important mosquito fact that people usually want to know is how to get rid of that dreaded mosquito in the first place. There are many mosquito control products on the market, but you should certainly keep some tips in mind before you go on a mosquito prevention and control shopping spree!

• Mosquito repellant lotion and mosquito spray can certainly keep mosquitoes from biting you, but you must be sure to reapply often if you are outside in a highly populated mosquito area 
• Mosquito barrier sprays or automatic misting systems are your best solution for controlling mosquitoes.  They are both safe for the environment and help create a barrier that prevent mosquitoes from entering your yard.  
• Mosquito sprays (especially aerosol ones) are effective, but they are bad for the environment 
• Garlic mosquito repellant is fairly effective, which just goes to show why vampires are afraid of garlic, too 
• Mosquito net fabric can be used to surround your bed, your gazebo, or your favorite chair. Just remember that the second you step out from under the fabric, you are at risk again 
• Mosquito zappers may be popular, but they very rarely capture mosquitoes 
• A revolutionary breakthrough in mosquito control comes in the form of a product called Mega-Catch^TM, a mosquito trap that safely lures mosquitoes with UV lighting, C0₂ octenol, and heat. 

No matter what type of mosquito prevention and control methods you use, remember that the best mosquito trap is the kind that is as effective as it is safe for you, your family, and the environment.

Mosquito History

Even though your first instinct when you see a mosquito is to kill it and make it history, you may be surprised to learn a bit about the real history of mosquitoes. Here is a quick tutorial on mosquito evolution and history.

• Mosquitoes were around in the Jurassic era when dinosaurs ran free and they are still just as strong today 
• Scientists believe that mosquitoes originated in South Africa and eventually spread to the rest of the world 
• Mosquitoes have evolved to the point where there are approximately 2,700 different species of mosquitoes 
• Ancient mosquitoes were up to three times larger than today’s mosquitoes 
• The word mosquito actually means “biting fly” 
• Some cultures associate mosquitoes with reincarnations of dead people

 

Mosquito Feeding Facts

Have you ever felt like a mosquito went out of its way to bite you? If so, then there’s a good chance you were right. Here are some of the most likely targets for mosquito bites and unwanted attacks.

• Mosquitoes are more attracted to women than to men 
• If given the choice, mosquitoes would usually rather drink blood from a blonde 
• Mosquitoes like to aim for moving targets 
• Many mosquitoes target people in dark clothing 
• When female mosquitoes drink blood, they purify the blood in their systems and leave a small puddle of urine on their victim’s skin. That is why when you first get bit, you may notice a small wet spot surrounding the bite 
• On average, female mosquitoes drink from 0.001 to 0.1 millimeters of blood per feeding 
• Mosquitoes are more prone to attacking people and animals during a full moon

 

Random Mosquito Facts

As irritating as they may be, mosquitoes can actually be quite fascinating – as long as they’re not biting you. Be sure to set up your Mega-Catch^TM or put on your DEET repellant so you can enjoy this random trivia you never knew about mosquitoes!

• Even though they seem to move quickly, the average mosquito can only fly up to 1.5 miles per hour 
• Mosquitoes cannot fly too high; they fly somewhere between 25 and 40 feet up in the air 
• Most mosquito species can only fly about 300 feet before they need to rest 
• Mosquitoes from salt marshes can fly up to 40 miles for their next meal 
• When a mosquito flies, it flaps its wings between 400 and 700 times per second 
• Mosquito saliva has some of the same ingredients as rat poison 
• Any fans of mosquitoes can go to the annual Great Texas Mosquito Festival where mosquitoes are honored in the strangest of ways

There you have it. Mosquitoes may only be known for a few things, but now that you’ve read these mosquito facts, you know much more about mosquitoes than you ever thought you would. So remember your trivia, tell your friends, and the next time you see a mosquito, be happy that you can at least be more knowledgeable as you swat it.

For more information please visit us at www.mosquitoterminators.com or call us at 704-770-8215.

Join the fight against the bite!  NO MORE MOSQUITOES!

The Dirt On Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are small, annoying, and leave itchy bites all over your arms and legs. While this is a fair description of the mosquito, some interesting facts about the mosquito may surprise you. It’s time for you get acquainted with the buzzing pest that ruins your summertime activities.

• A mosquito only weighs 1/25,000 of an ounce.
• Mosquitoes are responsible for more human deaths than any other living creature.
• Mosquitoes pose a threat to public health, spreading everything from West Nile virus, encephalitis, dengue fever, malaria, and even heartworms in pets.
• Citronella candles and smoking coils repel mosquitoes, but you have to stay in the smoky plume to be protected.
• West Nile virus is spread by infected mosquitoes, and can cause serious, life-altering and even fatal disease.
• There are over 2,500 species of mosquitoes scattered throughout the world.
• One female mosquito may lay 100 to 300 eggs at a time and may average 1,000 to 3,000 offsprings during her life span.
• Mosquitoes breed in standing water, so eliminating standing water on your property reduces your risk.
• The average life span of a female mosquito is 3 to 100 days and the male lives an average of 10 to 20 days.
• Only female mosquitoes bite—they need the protein for their eggs.
• Male mosquitoes survive by sucking on nectar and other plant juices.
• The welt that appears after a mosquito bites is an allergic reaction to the saliva that is injected into your skin to prevent your blood from clotting.
• From 100 feet away (30 meters) mosquitoes can smell your scent, especially the carbon dioxide (CO2) you exhale.
• Mosquitoes rarely travel farther than 300 feet from their birthplace.
• Light colors are less attractive to mosquitoes than dark colors; thus, mosquitoes are more likely to choose a victim wearing darker colors.
• Mosquitoes are found all over the world, even in cold places like the Arctic.
• Mosquitoes prefer dark places like trees, grass and shrubs.
• A mosquito develops from egg to adulthood in 4 to 7 days.
• Like humans, mosquitoes have food preferences—not all mosquito species bite humans, some prefer birds, horses, frogs or turtles.

For more information on mosquitoes please visit us at www.MosquitoTerminators.com. 

Mosquitoes Love Beer Drinkers

Scientists from France, Canada, and Africa have determined that the primary malaria insect carrier in Africa is more likely to bite people who drink beer. The research was reported at PLOS One on March 4, 2010.

A mosquito is the primary malaria carrier in Africa because the mosquito prefers to feed on humans. The mosquitoes are attracted by a variety of body odors including breath.

Fifty adult males aged between 20 and 43 years in good health and not using any medication volunteered for the experiment. One group drank the local beer and one drank water.

The beer drinkers attracted forty-seven to sixty-five percent more mosquitoes than the water drinkers in a statistically controlled experiment. The volunteers were not directly exposed to the possibility of being bitten by the mosquitoes.

The reason the mosquitoes were more highly attracted to beer drinkers is not clear.

Malaria is a potentially deadly disease in Africa.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) the majority of malaria cases in the United States result from travel to countries where malaria is not controlled. Alabama even had 9 cases of malaria reported in 2007.
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsMalariaSurveillance/

Avoid drinking beer if you are traveling to a country where malaria is common. You can send the beer to me.

Prevent disease and reduce the number of alcoholic mosquitoes at the same time.

www.MosquitoTerminators.com

Crane Flies Mimic Giant Mosquitoes

Every summer from June to August, I get calls and letters from readers terrified of “giant mosquitoes” they find under a porch light, or in the house trapped by window screens.

But they are not mosquitoes. They are crane flies, and they commonly visit illuminated porches. The adults are easy to recognize — they really do look like giant mosquitoes.

But crane flies are harmless. Though some species of crane flies even have long, tubular mouthparts like a mosquito, they use them to drink nectar, not blood. And when they fly, they lack the mosquito’s tell-tale whine.

With more than 1,400 species in this country alone, the crane fly family (Tipulidae) is the largest family of flies in the world. Most have extremely long, slender legs that break off easily. Some look like winged daddy longlegs. Their wings are generally large, clear and crisscrossed with a network of veins. The largest of the crane flies can attain a body length of more than 1 inch.

Mosquitoes, on the other hand, are much smaller. About 150 different species occur in North America, and most are less than 3/8 inch long. Notorious for their blood-sucking and disease-transmitting habits, mosquitoes deserve their bad reputation. Interestingly, however, it is only the females that drink blood, which they require for egg production. Before they can siphon up animal blood, they must dilute it with their saliva, which they deliver through their syringe-like, tubular proboscis. It is this saliva that causes intense itching and transmits diseases. Males drink plant nectar and juices.

Another difference between crane flies and mosquitoes is the impact each has on humans. Whereas the diseases transmitted by mosquitoes (malaria, yellow fever, encephalitis) cause serious illness and death, crane flies have little effect on us. The larvae of some crane fly species feed on living plant tissue and may account for minor crop damage.

While crane flies have not been thoroughly studied, we do know that the adults of some crane fly species drink flower nectar, while many others do not eat at all as adults. But none of them ever feasts on humans.

Scott Shalaway is a biologist and author. “Wildlife,” his other Post-Gazette column, runs Sundays in Sports. Shalaway can be reached at scottshalaway.googlepages.com and RD 5, Cameron, WV 26033.

Sunday, August 15, 2010 By Scott Shalaway

For more information on mosquito control please visit www.MosquitoTerminators.com

Keep Your Gutters Free of Debris!

Guilford County Department of Public Health has released a series of Mosquito prevention tips on their website.

Mosquito Control Tip: Clean your gutters

It contains ten great ideas for reducing mosquitoes on your property:

• Discard or at least every seven days, empty all containers in your yard that can hold water such as tires, bottles, flowerpot saucers, small pools, buckets and tarps.
• Keep gutters clean and in good repair.
• Repair leaky outdoor faucets.
• Clean and change the water in birdbaths and outside pet bowls at least twice a week.
• Screen or cover any outside rain barrels.
• Clean ornamental ponds and stock with Goldfish or Gambusia fish, which feed on mosquito larvae.
• Limit oudoor activities in the evening when mosquitoes are most active.
• Prevent bites by wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants.
• Use a repellent
•  To keep mosquitoes outside, make sure screens fit tightly and are not torn on windows and doors.

For a complete inspection of your property feel free to give us a call.  Serving Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh, NC.  Call today to keep your yard mosquito free! 

(704) 770-8215 or (336) 420-9867

ladcock@mosquitoterminators.com

Asian Tiger Mosquito

THE ASIAN TIGER MOSQUITO…North Carolinas biggest threat!

Arriving 1985, the Asian Tiger Mosquito arrived in Houston, Texas inside of tires imported from Japan.  Since then, it has spread across the entire Southern US, and up the East coast to New Hampshire.

This mosquito is a significant pest because it closely associates with humans, and typically flies, or rather hops from bush to bush, and feeds in the daytime in addition to at dusk and dawn.  Many of the other 150 mosquito species common to the US feed at dusk and dawn, a time where humans can frequently avoid them.

So if you are attacked while playing tennis at lunch, you can probably thank the Asian Tiger.  Hit during a round of afternoon golf, likely the Tiger.  Laying out by the pool with friends in the early afternoon, consider yourself lunch for the Aedes albopictus.

And the Asian Tiger’s ultimate legacy may be that it can transmit viruses such as Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), Malaria, and West Nile virus.

So if you feel like you are attacked more frequently now than a few years ago, you are probably correct, thanks to the Asian Tiger Mosquito.  It flies when humans are most active.

For more information on the Mosquitoes, check out this Wikipedia article.  Or for data on the Asian Tiger Mosquito,  check out these sources:

	Federal GovernmentInformation on Aedes albopictus DHHS. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Introduction History; Distribution Aedes albopictus in the United States: Ten-Year Presence and Public Health Implications (Emerging Infectious Disease, Vol. 3, No. 3, 1997) DHHS. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Introduction History; Impacts; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion; Legal Aspects Aedes Albopictus Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Taxonomy Mosquitoes – Integrated Pest Management Manual DOI. National Park Service. Identification/Description; Impacts; Life Cycle; Dispersion; Controls; Special Note: Excellent references section Aedes albopictus Article Citation Search – AGRICOLA Database USDA. National Agricultural Library. Research; Special Note: NAL Catalog Search (resources)
	State GovernmentAsian Tiger Mosquito: Prevention and Control Illinois Department of Public Health. Environmental Health. Identification/Description; Illustrations; Impacts; Life Cycle; Controls The Asian Tiger Mosquito in Maryland Maryland Department of Agriculture. Plant Industries and Pest Management. Identification/Description; Photographs; Illustrations; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion; Controls; Special Note: Public Health Importance and Surveillance of Tiger Mosquitoes Asian Tiger Mosquitoes Brochure (PDF | 95 KB) North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Public Health and Pest Management. Illustrations; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Controls
	University/AcademicAsian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus University of California – Riverside. Center for Invasive Species Research. Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; DistributionAsian Tiger Mosquito – Featured Creatures University of Florida. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Distribution; Controls; Special Note: ReferencesThe Asian Tiger Mosquito in Florida University of Florida. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Identification/Description; Introduction History; Distribution; Controls West Nile Virus and the Asian Tiger Mosquito Maryland Cooperative Extension Service. Maryland Master Gardeners. Charles County. Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution; Controls Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and The Asian Tiger Mosquito in New Jersey (PDF | 88 KB) Rutgers State University of New Jersey. Entomology. Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Impacts; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion Asian Tiger Mosquito Ohio State University. Extension. Identification/Description; Illustrations; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Controls; Legal Aspects Asian Tiger Mosquito – Entomology Insect Information Series (PDF | 101 KB) Clemson University. Cooperative Extension Service. Photographs; Impacts; Life Cycle; Controls The Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus): Spatial, Ecological, and Human Implications in Southeast Virginia Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Digital Library and Archives. Identification/Description; Photographs; Illustrations; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Distribution; Dispersion; Controls; Research; Legal Aspects; Special Note: Diffusion maps of the Asian Tiger Mosquito via U.S. major Roads/Interstates from 1986-1997

 

www.MosquitoTerminators.com

Providing complete mosquito control for North Carolina.

Mosquito Terminators

Mosquito Terminators is a full service mosquito control company owned by Mist-A-Pest. Mosquito Terminators has been serving North Carolina for over 10 years. With their outstanding service and support they have been able to become one of the top mosquito control providers in NC. With branches in Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh, NC they are able to provide outstanding support to the entire state at rates well below their competitors. With their 100% money back guarantee, how can you go wrong? Call today to recieve $25 off your next season of barrier sprays!

No more mosquitoes…Guaranteed!

Brandon Helms

Charlotte: 704.770.8215
Greensboro: 336.420.9867
Cary: 919.260.2844

www.MosquitoTerminators.com