Lifestyletipsvtrick: Mosquitoes are known for their irritating bites and the infectious diseases they transmit to humans. But there are many interesting facts about these pesky insects, which arrived on Earth long before humans. Here are 20 things you probably didn't know.
1. Mosquitoes have been around since the Jurassic period. That makes them about 210 million years old.
2. There are more than 3,000 species. Only a few hundred feed on human blood. About 175 of them are found in the United States, with Anopheles quadrimaculatus, Culex pipiens, Aedes aegypti, and Aedes albopictus among the most common. Anopheles is a carrier of malaria and the other three are known to spread various forms of encephalitis. Zika is mainly spread by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
3. West Virginia has the fewest species. There are 26. There are about 60 different species of mosquitoes in Ohio. Texas has the most at 85, and Florida has 80.
4. Only females bite. The female needs blood to help her eggs develop. Both male and female feed mainly on fruit and plant nectar.
5. Mosquitoes have no teeth. Females "bite" with a long, sharp mouth called a proboscis. They use their serrated proboscis to pierce the skin and locate a capillary, then draw blood through one of two tubes.
6. Bite swellings are caused by saliva. While one tube in the proboscis draws blood, a second pumps saliva containing a mild pain reliever and an anticoagulant. Most people have minor allergic reactions to the saliva, causing the area around the bite to swell and itch.
7. Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals in the world. When someone mentions the term "deadliest animals in the world", you probably start thinking of sharks, tigers, crocodiles and other ferocious creatures. Well, it may shock you to know that it is actually mosquitoes. Why? Because of the harmful diseases they are known to spread.
Read also : What are the sports that burn calories?
Mosquitoes are responsible for spreading several harmful diseases such as Malaria, Zika and Dengue to name a few. As a result of this, mosquitoes are thought to be responsible for around 1 million deaths per year!
8. A mosquito can drink up to three times its weight in blood.
9. Humans are not the first choice of blood. They usually prefer horses, cattle and birds.
10. Female mosquitoes can lay up to 300 eggs at a time. Eggs are usually laid in clusters on the surface of stagnant water or are laid in areas that flood regularly. Eggs can hatch in as little as an inch of standing water. Females will lay eggs up to three times before dying.
11. The average mosquito lives less than two months. Males live 10 days or less, while females can live up to eight weeks, Cleveland.com reports.
12. Mosquitoes can hibernate. At temperatures lower than 50 degrees, they stop. Adult females of some species find holes where they await warmer weather, while others lay their eggs in freezing water and die. The eggs are stored until the temperatures rise and they can hatch. Hibernating females can live up to six months.
13. Animals love mosquitoes: they are a reliable source of food for birds, bats, fish, dragonflies and frogs.
14. I can't fly very far or very fast. Most mosquitoes can fly no more than one to three miles and often stay several hundred yards from where they were hatched. Top speed is about 1.5 miles per hour.
15. They generally fly below 25 feet. However, some species have also been found at elevations of up to 8,000 feet.
16. They are attracted to people by their breath. Receptors on their antennae detect the carbon dioxide released when we exhale. Anyone who breathes more, including older people and pregnant women, can be more attractive.
17. Sweat helps mosquitoes choose their victims. Our skin produces over 340 chemical odors, and some smell great to a mosquito.
18. Body heat can lead to bites. Mosquitoes use heat sensors around their mouthparts to detect your body heat.
19. They are attracted to people who drink beer. And some mosquitoes are attracted to feet.
20. Movement attracts mosquitoes. The best way to keep mosquitoes away is to eliminate water sources.