3 Interesting Facts About Mosquitos
January 28, 2019
Mosquitoes just love singing us to sleep just so they can suck our blood. Small and irritating as they seem, these little ingrates have their own system of surviving in this world. Most of us think that mosquitoes are only attracted to blood. But this is a common misconception.
Mosquitoes usually feed on nectars and dews from flowers. The only time they crave for blood is when it is time for them to lay eggs. These creatures choose their prey through sensing bodily secretions.
The Truth About Mosquitoes
1. Mosquitoes are attracted to certain chemicals in the body such as lactic acid. Studies have also found that mosquitoes have blood preferences. If you are wondering why some people are more prone to mosquito bites, it might have something to do with their blood. For some reason, mosquitoes prefer blood type O more than A and B. It got me curious, does blood have flavor?
Apart from this, did you know that mosquitoes are attracted to sweat? They are equipped with micro-sensors that allows them to smell a certain chemical called "Octenol". This goes hand in hand with their attraction to bodily heat. The more a person sweats and produces heat, the more he is prone to mosquito bites. But be careful! Octenol is not only present in the human sweat. Other products such as lotions and perfumes have this, too. You might as well check on the content before use.
2. I hear a lot of people asking, "Do mosquitoes have mouths and teeth?" No, they do not. It just feels more correct to say mosquito “bite.” These tiny creatures have "Proboscis", a tube they use to pierce human or animal skin. Humans see only one with the naked eye. Interesting fact, mosquitoes have two -- one for blood-sucking and one for saliva-injecting. Most people have an allergic reaction to a mosquito's saliva. This explains the reddish bump that grows on the skin after a mosquito "bite".
3. Another fun fact! I always thought that Malaria is a virus that is spread by a mosquito from one person to another. It took me 22 years to realize that I was wrong. Malaria is a parasite living inside the mosquito, and is transmitted when the insect bites a person. Surprising isn't it? Though this got me thinking, “Are there any more insect species that can carry Malaria, or any other parasite? All the more reason to clean our surroundings. We wouldn’t want to be infested with mosquitoes. I wonder if mosquitoes can get killed by their parasite as well.
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