Interesting Facts About Mosquitoes

Only female mosquitoes bite :

Are you aware of the fact that your blood helps mosquitoes reproduce? Also, you should know that only female mosquitoes bite. Your blood contains the protein that mosquito eggs require for development. To prevent from such mosquito bites, apply mosquito repellent cream or mosquito repellent lotion.
Also Read: Home Remedies for Mosquito Bites

There are more than 3,500 species of mosquitoes :

Do you know there are more kinds of mosquitoes on this planet than humans are? There are more than 3,500 different species of mosquitoes ready to ooze out your blood. To give you an idea of what exactly that number looks like, if 100 trillion mosquitoes were stacked together on a football field, the pile would reach more than three miles high.

The average mosquito lifespan is less than two months :

Mosquitoes are one of the deadliest species on the planet and their ideal life span might surprise you. After mating, a male mosquito usually lives only for three to five days and a female mosquito can live as long as a month or two under ideal conditions. Females within that time lay eggs every three weeks.
Also Read: Life Cycle of a Mosquito

Mosquitoes can hibernate :

Mosquitoes are cold blooded creatures. They differ from humans in the sense that their body temperatures getsadjusted according to their current location. This is why mosquitoes like majority of other insects tend to be more visible during the warmer times of the year. Mosquitoes that are present in temperate regions tend to do a lot of hibernating.

Mosquitoes spend their first 10 days in water :

Water is essential for mosquitoes because that is where they usually make their habitatand hatch their eggs into larvae, called wigglers. Thesewigglers basically feed on organic matter present in the stagnant water and breathe oxygen form the surface. These wigglers later develop into pupae which do not feed and are partially encased in cocoons. After a few days, these pupae develop into an adult mosquito. This process takes 10 days before a mosquito starts to fly. Use mosquito repellent spray or mosquito repellent roll on.

Female Mosquitoes lay up to 300 eggs at a time :

Mosquitoes usually lay their eggs at night.Usually, the eggs are deposited in clusters called rafts on the surface of stagnant water, or they are laid in areas that flood regularly. Eggs can hatch in as little as an inch of standing water. Females will lay eggs up to three times before they die.

Mosquitoes drink up to three times their weight in blood :

Mosquitoes suck blood through their proboscis. It is like a tube and it would take approximately 1.2 million mosquito bites to drain out all the blood from your body. Female mosquitoes need blood to lay eggs and reproduce in large numbers.

Mosquitoes are the world’s deadliest creatures :

Mosquitoes are the deadliest creatures and are capable of transmitting deadly diseases. Mosquitoes are completely responsible for the propagation of malaria which affects nearly 300 million people every year. Malaria is a disease caused by mosquitoes. There are numerous other mosquito bite diseases like:

You can also learn more about the list of monsoon diseases that are equally dangerous as mosquito-borne diseases are.

Mosquitoes can detect carbon dioxide from 75 feet away :

Carbon dioxide, which humans and other animals produce, is actually a key signal to mosquitoes that a blood meal is near. They have a keen sensitivity to CO2 that is present in air. A female mosquito flies back and forth through the CO2 plume until she locates her victim.

The bumps from mosquito bites are caused by saliva :

When a mosquito bites you and sucks blood from your body, you are left with mosquito saliva in your body. This saliva causes a mild allergic reaction, an itchy red bump. You get a bump because you are having an allergic reaction to mosquito saliva. Only female mosquitoes bite because they need the protein found in blood to produce eggs. Most importantly kids should be protected from these mosquitoes by applying mosquito repellent patches or making them wear the mosquito repellent wristband.

Body heat can lead to bites :

Body heat can make some people susceptible to mosquito bites. Usually visual clues help mosquitoes find humans from a faraway place, but as mosquitoes’ approach, it's your body heat that draws mosquitoes in.

Mosquitoes have poor eyesight :

Mosquitoes have two spheres on both sides of their head which has hundreds of eyes. If seen closely, it looks like a mesh. Due to this design, their vision becomes hugely contorted and therefore they have to rely on chemical and thermal receptors.