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I’d be Happy If I Never Saw Another Mosquito in my Life

September 13, 2008

GREAT BAY, St. Maarten (GIS) — Sector Health Care Affairs (SHCA) Dengue Action Response Team (DART) confirmed six cases of dengue fever in August which shows an increase in relation to the average of two cases are reported per month.

Fogging exercises will commence within a week while they are already underway on the French side of the island.

Here’s what one of ZebraBOT’s contributing writers, Jamie Deonas, has to say on the matter.

Even Mosquitoes Have Gone Global

In 1986, the Asian Tiger Mosquito (ATM) was initially discovered in the USA in Florida at a tire dump site in Jacksonville (Duval County). Over the next 8 years, this exotic mosquito spread to all of Florida’s 67 counties. Currently, it is the dominant Aedes mosquito in artificial containers throughout Florida. An exception to this pattern occurs in the Florida Keys where the Yellow Fever mosquito (YFM), Aedes aegypti, has a widespread distribution but where there are, as yet, no ATMs.

If you’ve spent any time outside this summer chances are the mosquito made an appearance reminding you were you live. The mosquito has been favoring tropical climates much longer than we have and has adapted to our presence and yes, even our methods of getting rid of them.

There are more than 2,700 species of mosquitoes in the world, and there are 13 mosquito genera (plural for “genus”) that live in the United States. Of these genera, most mosquitoes belong to three:

  1. the “floodwater” mosquitoes because flooding is important for their eggs to hatch. They are strong fliers, capable of travelling great distances (up to 75 miles/121 km) from their breeding sites. They persistently bite mammals (especially humans), mainly at dawn and in the early evening. The Asian Tiger Mosquito is the latest pest to have turned up. Their bites are painful.
  2. the fresh water mosquito (Anopheles), that can spread malaria to humans.
  3. the quiet, standing water mosquito (Culex) They are weak fliers and tend to live for only a few weeks during the summer months. They persistently bite (preferring birds over humans) and attack at dawn or after dusk. Their bite is painful.

The Florida mosquito begins its life as an egg laid by its mother. These eggs can stay dormant for up to 5 years and are activated by the introduction of water. The eggs quickly become small larva that will live in the water for several days maturing into an adult mosquito. You may have noticed small wiggling bugs that look like very small worms in containers that are holding water around your home. Chances are they were infant mosquitoes. The larva must stay in the water the entire time during this period and the area or container they are growing in must have still water and can be as small as a tea spoon in size. These larvas also breathe fresh air and will make hundreds of trips to the surface of the water they are living in to breath. The next phase of life the larvae will grow wings and a body resembling a very small mosquito. At this stage they will sit on top of the water for 8-12 hours drying their wings and finishing their development. Once airborne they head for dense foliage to begin their 3-6 week adult life span.

The adult mosquito is a small black insect that flies. There are 167 species of mosquitoes and 80 reside here in our in backyard Florida. They are very slow moving in nature and surprisingly enough are vegetarians. Now one would question, if the mosquito is a vegetarian then why am I getting bitten? Well first you really aren’t being bitten, stung is actually more accurate and the reason for this is not for food but for future life. The female mosquito is the only one who “stings” and she does this for the protein from our blood to fertilize her eggs. Mosquitoes are most active during the early parts of the morning and evening and become completely inactive when temperatures get to 60° F or below. This is the reason we only see them during the summer months. Mosquitoes stay very close to the location where they were hatched and any widespread movement depends mostly on the wind.

Since we have to co-exist with these pesky little insects, how can we protect ourselves from their uncomfortable stings?

Prevention starts with first checking your yard and surroundings for any containers that may be holding water in which mosquitoes could be breeding. Also check for standing water in your gutters. This is the most effective way of mosquito control. Once the mosquito is airborne you have several methods of protection, of which the most effective one is to totally avoid any outside activities.True, not a likely option for most. Next is to wear protective clothing such as long pants and long sleeves especially during early morning hours and around sunset. Mosquito repellants that can be applied to your skin work well, but remember you’re applying an insecticide directly on your skin. What it will do is fool the mosquito’s senses.

Also notice how mosquitoes jump on black clothing? That’s because black stands out against most backgrounds. One sure way of personal protection is to apply an Avon product called Skin So Soft. This body care product is not advertised as such, but works the best of all, and it makes even the sweatiest man smell good, contrary to another repellent which is eating so much garlic that it comes out of your pores. Just remember, they were here first (they beat us by about 30 million years) and if you are going to live in Florida, Louisiana, coastal areas of Georgia, the Carolinas, Mississippi and Texas you better get used to them pestering you in the summertime. And a fly swatter doesn’t seem to be doing much good.

Written by alice · Filed Under Local News 

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