Mosquito 101

You probably know by now that mosquitoes are annoying, and that they could potentially pass on an unwanted virus to you, but did you know these other facts listed below? Test yourself and see how many you already knew!

Wearing dark clothing will make you an easier target.

Those beady eyes can only see so much, and wearing easily identifiable colors like black or royal blue will make you a mosquito magnet. If you want to avoid bites, opt for colors like yellow or white.

Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on Earth.

You heard right; mosquitoes are responsible for around 725,000 deaths every year.

Beer drinkers are more attractive to mosquitoes.

Drinking 3 cans of beer lead to 30% more mosquito bites.

Pregnant women are attractive to mosquitoes, too.

Pregnant ladies produce 20% more carbon dioxide than their non-pregnant counterparts, which makes them easier for mosquitoes to detect.

Mosquito spit makes us itchy.

After they go in for the bite, they inject some of their saliva as a thinning agent, so they can suck up our blood easier.

The spit is actually what makes us itchy, and it’s also how viruses are transmitted.

Only female mosquitoes bite.

Females are equipped with a proboscis so they can pierce our skin, suck up our blood, and use the protein for breeding purposes.

Male mosquitoes only feed on nectar for nutrition, whereas the females need our blood to make more mosquito babies.

A mosquito develops from egg to adulthood within four to seven days.

And once they hatch, the females are ready to bite.

They only need an inch of water to lay their eggs.

Yep, that’s all it takes! So get rid of bottle caps, tires, empty pot plants – anything that can contain water.

They don’t travel far from their breeding spots.

If you’ve been bitten by one mosquito, chances are there’s many more. Mosquito proofing your place is definitely a number one priority.

Mosquitoes can drink A LOT of your blood.

Twice their body weight in fact! They’re basically tiny little vampires.

Mosquitoes can detect carbon dioxide from 75 feet away.

They plan from afar, then follow the plume left from the air you breathe, then they ATTACK!

Full moons = more mosquitoes.

Mosquito activity increase by a whopping 500% in one study. Spooky.

Mosquitoes are weak fliers.

That’s why it’s a great idea to set up a pedestal fan if you’re kicking back outside; it’ll restrict their flight path and make it harder for them to bite you.