20th August: World Mosquito Day

Today is World Mosquito Day. It was on August 20 1897 when British doctor Sir Ronald Ross worked out that mosquitoes carry malaria. He described the creature as a “grey moquito with dappled wings”. This discovery won him the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1902, the first Nobel prize to be won by a British person.

1. The word mosquito is Spanish and literally means, "little fly."
2. The first reference to a mosquito in English was in 1572. It was described as “A certeine gnat or flie … which biteth both men and women in their sleepe.”
3. Not all mosquitoes will bite you. There are more than 3,500 species of mosquito but only about 200 bite people. Some only bite birds or reptiles. Even within the species that do like human Blood, they won't all bite you. A male mosquito isn't interested in your blood at all. They much prefer flower nectar. It is only the females which bite, and even then only when they are preparing to lay eggs. They are only doing it for their children. When not about to lay eggs they will eat nectar as well.
4. Why do mosquito bites itch? They're not technically bites as mosquitoes don't have teeth. They pierce your skin with a long pointy proboscis with two tubes. They suck up the blood though one, and use the other to inject saliva to stop the blood coagulating before they've finished their meal. The reason "bites" itch is because most people have an allergic reaction to mosquito spit.
5. A mosquito can guzzle up to three times its own weight in blood. However, since they are so tiny it would take about 1.2 million bites to drain a human body of all its blood.
6. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in stagnant Water, about 300 at a time. For some species, a puddle is sufficient. The eggs hatch into larvae known as wrigglers which feed on organic material in the water. They then pupate and become adults in a few days.
7. Mosquitoes' wings beat at 300-600 times a second, which is why they make that annoying whining sound. What you may not know is that mosquitoes looking for a mate listen out for this sound. When they meet a suitable mate, their wing beats synchronise.
8. They don't fly very fast - top speed is about 1.5mph - about a quarter of human walking speed, so a mosquito isn't going to chase you down to feed on you - it would never catch you! They don't tend to travel very far from their hatching place, although there is a species that lives in Salt marshes which can travel about 40 miles in its lifetime. Which isn't very long. Male mosquitoes only live about 10 days. Females can live up to eight weeks in good conditions.
9. How do they locate you? They can smell the CO2 on your breath and follow it like a trail. They can also smell human sweat and unlike us, find it attractive. They can detect octenol, a chemical released in sweat, as well as cholesterol, folic acid, certain bacteria, skin lotions, and perfume. They also have heat sensors which can detect the warm blood in your veins.
10. How to avoid them? Scientists reckon that DEET remains the most effective repellent. Or only go out when the temperature is less than 50 degrees F, when most species shut down and hibernate, or in the hottest part of the day, when they'll be resting. Don't wear dark clothing as dark colours absorb heat making it easier for them to find you. Using a fan helps, too - the movement of air caused by a fan makes it difficult for the tiny creatures to control their flight.

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