Mosquitoes, Are you prepared to deal with them?Summer is approaching and so does those pesky "critters" known as mosquitoes readying their blood-thirsty assault upon unsuspected people and animals. There are estimated to be over 100 trillion Mosquitoes in the world and each one is responsible for five human bites a day.
There are about 200 different species of mosquitoes in the United States. They live in certain habitats, exhibit unique behaviors, and bite different types of animals.
All Mosquitoes share some common traits, despite some differences. The common trait is their four-stage life cycle are shown below:
The female mosquito obtains a blood meal (males do not suck blood), she lays her eggs directly on the surface of stagnant water, in a depression, or on the edge of a container where rain water may collect and flood the eggs. After the female lays her eggs on the water, she again seeks a blood meal to produce a second batch of eggs. Depending on her stamina and the weather, she may repeat this process many times without mating again. A female mosquito can lay 3,000 eggs in her life time. The eggs hatch when exposed to water and a mosquito larva or "wriggier" emerges. The larva lives in the water, molts several times and most species surface to breathe air, feeds and develops into the third stage of the life cycle called a pupa or "tumbler." The pupa also lives in the water, but no longer feeds. At last, the mosquito emerges from the pupa case and the water as a fully developed adult,
READY TO BITE!
A female mosquito can ingest 2 - 4 milliliters of blood per bite and the blood is required for her eggs to develop.
The type of standing water in which the mosquito chooses to lay her eggs depends upon the species. The presence of predators such as fish and dragonfly nymphs in permanent ponds, lakes and streams usually keep these bodies of water relatively free of mosquito larvae. However, portions of marshes, swamps, clogged ditches and temporary pools and puddles are all prolific mosquito breeding sites. Other sites in which some species lay their eggs include tree holes, old tires, buckets, toys, potted plant trays, saucers and plastic covers or tarpaulins.
We have all had the unpleasant experience of being bitten by a mosquito. Their bites can cause severe skin irritation through an allergic reaction to the mosquito's saliva-this will cause the red bump and itching. More serious consequences of some mosquito bites may be the transmission of certain serious diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and several other forms of encephalitis, including West Nile Virus. West Nile Virus is carried by blood-feeding insects of an infected female mosquitoes after she has fed on an infected bird. It is than passed from the infected mosquito to humans, birds and animals when they bite. All donated blood is checked for West Nile Virus before being used and the risk of being transferred during pregnancy from mother to baby, breastfeeding, through transfusions and organ transplants is very small and shouldn't prevent people who need surgery from having it. This virus is not spread through casual contact as touching or kissing someone with the virus. Not only can mosquitoes carry diseases which afflict humans, but they can transmit several diseases and parasites that dogs and horses are very susceptible to. These include dog heart worms and eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile Virus.
The very first case is thought to have originated in 1937 in the West Nile region of Uganda. It later spread to other parts of Africa, Eastern Europe, West Asia and the Middle Eastern Countries.
Up until 1999, mosquitoes were considered just an irritating insect and the West Nile Virus was a tropical plague that North American's only read about in newspapers.
Today, the risk of mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus is more serious than the red, itchy bites that mosquitoes leave behind. The West Nile Virus has become a summer threat to North America striking fear when summer approaches and the concern of those fearless creators and the virus it could bring.
