10 Mosquito Facts You May Not Know
admin
May 15, 2018
In case you’re attending a trivia night and the topic of mosquitoes comes up, you’ll be prepared with these fascinating mosquito facts.
- There are more than 2,500 varieties of mosquitos (some entomologists claim 3,000) ranging from the Arctic tundra to the tropical rain forests.
- Female mosquitoes have piercing mouth parts and feed on blood. Male mosquitoes only feed on plant nectar.
- It would take 1,200,000 mosquitoes, each sucking once, to completely drain the average human of blood.
- In the Arctic, Canadian researchers who bared their arms, legs, and torsos reported as many as 9,000 bites per minute from swarming, newly hatched mosquitoes. (How would you like THAT job?)
- Once a feeding mosquito is full, a chemical signal shuts down the intake. When that signal is disabled in the lab, mosquitoes suck until they explode.
- Millions of people alive today will die of a mosquito-transmitted disease. Malaria alone claims some 1,000,000 lives a year in Africa. Other top killers include dengue, yellow fever, and West Nile virus.
- Mosquitoes have killed more humans than all the wars in history.
- Beer drinkers are more attractive to mosquitoes. In a 2011 French study, researchers found that drinking 3 cans of beer lead to 30% more mosquito bites. What a buzzkill!
- Mosquito wings beat 300-600 times per second. Hence the incessant buzzing you hear on a summer’s night.
- A mosquito develops from egg to adulthood within four to seven days. And once they hatch, they’re ready to bite (the females, at least).
So there you have it – 10 fascinating facts about those annoying mosquitoes. Call DA Exterminating if you need expert mosquito control. 800-650-PEST.