Fun Facts about Mosquitoes

Have you ever noticed that most of the time, while we sleep, we hear a humming sound which is near our ear and it is very irritating we even try to smash that creature with our hands which are producing that sound, but just a minute who produces that sound?

So it's a small flying insect- Mosquito. Mosquitoes are known as vectors for several harmful diseases, such as Malaria, Zika and Dengue too. And it is believed that as a result of this, small flying insects- mosquitoes are responsible for over 1 million deaths which are happening per year around the world. In this article, we are going to learn about the description of mosquito and mosquito habitats, and we are even going to discuss fun fact about mosquitoes.

Mosquito Habitats

Some mosquitoes like to live near people; some prefer to live in forests, while others prefer to live in marshes or tall grasses. But one thing is common: every mosquito likes to live in water because mosquito larvae and pupae live in water with very little or no flow. So, different types of water attract different types of mosquitoes near them.

Mosquitoes Larva 

Some mosquitoes favour clean water, while others like nutrient-rich water.

Mosquitoes lay eggs near the edges of lakes and ponds, among plants in swamps, marshes, or in containers which hold water. While some mosquitoes lay their eggs in moist soil or in those containers which are above the water line. Then the eggs dry out and hatch when rain floods the soil or the container.

Life Cycle of Mosquito

The Water provides the mosquitoes with a place where they can lay their eggs and grow and develop easily through their water stages (egg, larval and pupal). So, after the airborne portion of the mosquito life cycle, females return to water to lay a new batch of their fertile eggs. Remember one thing Female mosquitoes usually try to lay their eggs on the surface of the water or in those areas where water can rise easily, flood the eggs, and stimulate them to hatch.

Life Cycle of Mosquito

Even when adult mosquitoes leave the pupal stage and become an adult, then water still plays a role because the adult mosquitoes exit the pupal case on the water’s surface and 'dry out' before taking flight.

What Attracts Mosquitoes?

If you keep getting bitten while people around you don’t, it may be because mosquitoes are attracted to some people's body chemistry over others. Mosquitoes are attracted to a combination of body odour, heat and the carbon dioxide that humans and animals emit when they breathe, lactic acid, and an element which is found in sweat.

Mosquitoes pick up on various cues to find their next victims, from the carbon dioxide you emit when you breathe to the odours you release when you sweat. Mosquitoes use their receptors and vision to zero in on these cues and can easily spot their next meal from 50 meters away. Many studies have proved that alcohol consumption can make humans more attractive to mosquitoes. So, you must think twice before chugging a cold one if you want to avoid getting bit.

How Do They Find You?

Female mosquitoes have nerve cells which are called CPA neurons that have receptors to detect carbon dioxide. It enables them to sense the plumes of air that we exhale. But mosquitoes are smart because they can still attract human skin even without carbon dioxide.

Mosquito Seeking Behavior 

Researchers discovered a receptor that mosquitoes use to detect both carbon dioxide and skin odour and identified the compounds that interact with the receptor. They can zero in on us from afar and head straight for our bare skin. Unfortunately, they are much more than an itchy annoyance because they can easily transmit many serious diseases like- malaria, one of the most common infectious diseases in the world.

Interesting Facts about Mosquitoes

Given below are some fun fact about mosquitoes.

• Did you know that There are more than 3,500 different species of mosquitoes which are ready to ooze out your blood?

• Mosquitoes can hibernate, yes, that's true because mosquitoes which are present in temperate regions tend to do a lot of hibernating.

• All mosquitoes spend their initial 10 days in water because Water is where they usually make their habitat and hatch their eggs into larvae.

• Mosquitoes are the world’s deadliest creatures. Because they are capable of transmitting deadly diseases.

• Mosquitoes can easily detect carbon dioxide from 75ft. away because Carbon dioxide is a key signal to mosquitoes that a blood meal is near.

• Mosquitoes find humans from faraway places just with the help of your body temperature. 

• Female mosquitoes can easily drink their entire body weight in blood during just one meal. 

Summary

In this article, we learned about the small flying insects, mosquitoes, which are not just irritating but very dangerous too because they spread so many serious diseases like malaria, dengue, and many more harmful ones.  We learnt here what is the habitat of mosquitoes, where they are born, and what attracts them. How do they find us? What's their life circle and had also discussed some of the fun facts about mosquitoes which were related to them.

But we must keep one thing in mind: we need to be safe from them because they are very dangerous, no matter how small. After all, they cause so many dangerous diseases. We hope you enjoyed reading this article.