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The word mosquito derives from the Spanish word musketas which
literally translates to little fly. There
are more than 2500 species of mosquitoes worldwide, 150 of these
being found in the US of which 73 are foundin Florida.
All species of mosquitoes have one thing in common. They are
pests and can put a damper on our outdoor
activities. They can cause decreased milk production and weight
in farm animals and cause heart worms in
dogs . Nothing compares, however, with the threat of disease
they can easily transfer to humans.
Some of the most common diseases spread by mosquitoes are
Malaria, Dengue, Encephalitis and Yellow Fever.
Although it was feared in the 1980s the threat of the HIV virus
being spread by mosquitoes has been
dismissed. The new threat is the West Nile Virus.
The West Nile Virus
The West Nile Virus is not new to West Asia, Africa, Eastern
Europe and the Middle East. It is, however, new to
the US. The first US outbreak wasnt reported until 1999 in New
York City when horses, humans and birds were
infected and fell ill with the virus. Out of 62 humans diagnosed
with the disease in 1999, 7 died. In the year
2000, 2 people died out of the 21 people from New York, New
Jersey and Connecticut who were diagnosed with
the disease.
The disease usually affects birds but becomes a threat to
mammals, such as humans and horses, when it is
transmitted by a mosquito bite. When birds migrate there is more
of a chance of spreading the disease to other
parts of the country. This year that has become evident by
outbreaks literally in our own backyards. On July 7,
2001 the disease was detected in a dead crow in Lowndes County,
Georgia. Most recently a Coopers Hawk
was found to be infected with the disease in DeKalb County,
Georgia. The latest report is that one person has
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died from the disease in Georgia. So far this year birds testing
positive to West Nile Virus have been found in
CT, FL, GA, MA, MD, NJ, NY and RI.
Symptoms of West Nile Virus include headache, fever and body
aches (similar to a mild flu) and occur 5 to 15
days after the bite from an infected mosquito. Most people
experience no symptom at all. Complications occur
when the virus causes Encephalitis, an inflammation of the
brain. Symptoms of Encephalitis are nausea, stiff
neck, confusion, weakness, high fever, severe headache and coma.
The elderly and people with low immune
systems are more at risk for contracting the complications of
Encephalitis.
The Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public
Health is keeping us informed with frequentupdates that can be
found online at http://health.state.ga.us/epi/vbd.shtml. As of
7/24/01 they do not
recommend Georgians staying indoors because the risk of
contracting the disease is low. According to their
publication, Even if you live in an area where mosquitoes are
known to carry West Nile virus or other viruses,
very few mosquitoes will actually be infected Your chances of
becoming ill if ever bitten by an infected
mosquito is also very low.
They do encourage us to protect ourselves (especially seniors
and those with immune deficiencies) from the
virus by taking simple measures to avoid mosquito bites.
Dont Invite Mosquitoes to Your Party
Mosquitoes love stagnant water. That is where the mother lays
her eggs, where the eggs hatch, where thelarva hang from the waters
surface breathing oxygen from a tube and where the pupa rests,
waiting to shed its
skin and become an adult. This cycle cannot happen in running
water. A well-circulated pond will not become a
mosquito breeding tank. If your pond has areas where the water
surface is still or where lily pads and plants
allow trash to build up on the surface of the water you should
use Mosquito Dunks to prevent any
mosquitoes from becoming adults.
Find Mosquito Dunks at our online store.
Anything that can hold water will breed mosquitoes. Get rid of
them, keep them clean and fresh, or turn them
upside-down so water cant collect in them.
Buckets - Boats & Canoes - Old Tires - Pet Dishes - Unused
Wading Pools - Planters - Wheelbarrows -
Birdbaths - Cluttered Rain Gutters
Puddles are some of the worst offenders. Fill them in or re-do
your landscape so that puddles do not stay
around after a big rain. Also check around outdoor faucets and
the air-conditioning unit for water
accumulation. Septic tanks that leak need to be repaired
immediately.
Adult mosquitoes rest on weeds and thick vegetation. Keep the
lawn mowed and clear out brush for better
mosquito control.
Dont allow them into your house by screening the porch, doors
and windows with 16 to 18 mesh screens.
Dont Be Attractive
...at least to the mosquito. Mosquitoes see movement more than
an actual object and they see sharp contrasts
of dark and light colors. Choose clothing that blends in with
the environment. If you are 30 feet away from a
mosquito dressed in a green outfit sitting next to a bush the
mosquito wouldnt know the difference between
you and the bush at least not until he is within 10 feet of
you.
Mosquitoes are attracted by the smell of carbon dioxide and
lactic acid, both of which are given off by us when
we exhale especially when we are active. Mosquitoes follow our
body scent upwind against breezes up to 6
miles an hour.
When a mosquito is within 10 feet of you it can feel body heat.
The mosquitos heat sensor is more accurate
when the humidity is high.
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Ways to protect oneself from mosquitoes:
Wear long sleeves and pants instead of shorts.
Use repellents on exposed areas of the skin. Products that
contain DEET are proven to be safe
when used at 20 to 30% concentration on adults and 10% for
children. Do not use on infants and
pregnant women.
Dont depend on bug zappers. They kill more beneficial bugs than
they do mosquitoes.
Burn citronella candles and torches.
Use mosquito coils that burn slowly and emit a smoke that kills
mosquitoes and keep them away.
Natural Predators
Mosquitoes are a favorite food of bats and dragonflies. A single
dragonfly can eat up to 600 insects a day. That
number is dwarfed by the brown bat who can eat 1200 mosquitoes
in an hour!
Only a female mosquito will bite. She requires blood every 3 to
4 days for egg production. She will
often drink more than her weight in blood in one sitting.
The male mosquito prefers the taste of flower nectar.
Men are more likely to be bitten than women.
Young adults are more likely to be bitten than any other age
group. Next in line are older adults.
A mosquito does not bite. She actually siphons the blood out by
a tube.
It is believed that a larger person attracts mosquitoes more
than a smaller person because of the
amount of carbon dioxide and heat emitted by the person.
The only place mosquitoes do not live is Antarctica.
The correct plural spelling for mosquito is mosquitoes (with an
e) in English and mosquitos
(without the e) in Spanish.
Most species of mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn.
From the Pond-A-Thon Edition of What's Up, Doc?, July / Aug /
Sept 2001 / 2001, The Pond Doc's Water Garde n Cente r. All rights
Reserve d.Reproduction of this article prohibited without prior
consent of The Pond Doc.
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