Hey, Buggy Boys and Girls!
As you probably DIDN’T know, World Mosquito Day is today. Mosquito Day may not seem like a day you’d want to celebrate, but it actually makes good sense. It’s observed on August 20th every year since 1897 when the British doctor Sir Ronald Ross made the discovery that mosquitoes were transmitting malaria from person to person. To raise awareness over the matter, he insisted World Mosquito Day be observed annually.
In observance of this day, I thought we could take a look at some very interesting and little known facts about those pesky little buggers.
Boys don’t Bite
You know how people are always complaining when the mosquitoes are out? Well, it’s just the females. No, no—not the folks complaining! I’m talking about the mosquitoes. It’s just the female mosquitoes that bother you. The male mosquitoes are harmless and will not drink blood—in fact, they don’t even have the mouthpiece that the females do to pierce the flesh of an animal host. Instead, they just drink nectar.
Don’t Spit on Me
The worst thing about a mosquito bite is the itch! Am I right? But did you know that it’s not really the bite that’s causing your itching sensation. It’s her spit! As she’s drinking, your blood at the surface of this microscopic wound begins clotting as part of our body’s healing process. If your blood clots too fast, she can’t get a good drink. So she spits on your wound which prevents clotting. It’s that slobber she left behind that our body responds to with itchiness and histamines.
Slow Poke
Yeah, they’re vicious bloodsuckers, these girls. But did you know that they’re actually pretty slow. Yep. Despite being four times lighter than a feather (which you’d think would aid their speed), they only get around at a little over a mile per hour. That makes them one of the slowest flying insects of them all. Dragonflies, for comparison, can be found zippin’ around at 35 miles per hour!
So the next time you find yourself surrounded by a swarm of mosquitoes, remember to blame the female gender for this irritation and keep guarded with the proper repellents which can be found when you click right here. Share your new knowledge with people for World Mosquito Day and, as always, thanks for reading!
- John