Mosquito: What you don't know could hurt you.

We thought we would start our blog with a little general information about the mosquito. We hope to make this blog interesting and an excellent source of information. So let's talk Mosquitoes. . .

More than an annoyance, mosquitoes are blood-sucking transmitters of horrific disease. Many scholars postulate that the mosquito is responsible for more human deaths throughout history than any other organism.

In the United States, we tend to be less aware of the deadly role of mosquitoes because we control their population to a great extent. Still, on average, over 1,000 Americans annually experience serious illness or death as a result of a mosquito bite.

To be fair, the mosquito by itself is not the danger. The problem is the bacteria and other parasites carried by the mosquito. The mosquito is simply the delivery mechanism for the parasite – just as a gun is the delivery mechanism for a bullet (except, this gun sucks your blood even when it’s not loaded).

The red, itchy bump at the site of a mosquito bite is your body’s reaction to the mosquito’s saliva – a reaction that occurs regardless of a parasite’s presence.

Quick mosquito facts

* There are over 3,000 mosquito species worldwide
* Over 150 mosquito species inhabit the U.S.
* A relatively small number of species transmit dangerous disease
* Only adult female mosquitoes bite
* A female mosquito needs one blood meal for every batch of eggs she produces
* Mosquitoes feed on nectar, plant juices and decaying plant material
* All mosquitoes have 4 distinct life stages:
o egg
o larva
o pupa
o adult
* Mosquito eggs require water to hatch into successful larvae
* Mosquito eggs can survive up to 7 years before hatching
* With a 100% survival rate, a single mosquito could be responsible for over 1 billion mosquito descendants in under a month