10 Interesting Facts About Mosquitoes

Nobody likes mosquitoes, but you have to admit that they’re a pretty fascinating insect when you learn about their history. While extremely annoying and deadly for humans, this critter has survived for millions of years and boasts some impressive feats.

However, it’s only a few hundred that feast on blood and make our human lives hell during the summer months.

If you’ve ever wondered why mosquitoes eat blood, it’s because the females need this to lay their eggs. In fact, it’s only the female mosquitoes that bite. Male mosquitoes will dine on plants in the environment. In fact, the blood doesn’t provide nutrients for mosquitoes at all – those come from plants they eat. The blood allows the eggs to mature inside the female before laying.

In shallow water, that is. Mosquito larvae are not unlike frogs in that they hatch in water and grow into adults on land. Female mosquitoes need to lay their eggs in shallow, still water, which is why you may have noticed more mosquitoes after very heavy rain. Extraordinarily, female mosquitoes can do with water as shallow as dampened earth from too much sprinkler use. That’s why it’s so important to keep an eye out for standing water. Even an upturned bottle cap could become a mosquito nursery.

It comes from the plant leaves  and is one of the only CDC approved chemicals for effectively repelling mosquitoes.

Malaria-ridden mosquitoes infect 250 million people worldwide and kill over one million annually. And that’s not including other mosquito-borne illnesses like West Nile, Zika, or dengue fever.

You may not think it from their tiny wings and erratic flying patterns, but these hungry bugs can fly up to three miles per diem.

According to a study published by the National Library of Medicine , people who consumed beer were more likely to have mosquitoes land on them. So if you enjoy drinking beer outside on the patio during the summer, make sure to wear insect repellant, use citronella torches, or get a professional mosquito fog application performed on your property.

The earliest mosquito fossils discovered put their age at between 120 and 210 million years old. That’s quite an impressive survival rate for such a small creature.

Female mosquitoes can consume (or 0.000005) of a liter of blood. While this may not seem impressive initially, this is about two to three times her body weight. Imagine trying to perform this feat as a human!

They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and this includes the number of mosquitoes. At 85 species, the Lone Star State has more of these pests than any other in the union.

Interesting as these critters may be, no one likes to get bit. The pest control technicians at Buzz Off Mosquito Solutions can help! Rid your property of these pests with our Mosquito Fogging program . Just say the word, and our team of experts will make an application every three to four weeks throughout the summer so you can ditch the DEET and enjoy your summer. Call 715-281-3289 or contact us online here . For more tips on dealing with mosquitoes and other pests, be sure to subscribe to our monthly blog .

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