Impress your friends with these bits of buggy trivia

The mosquito may be the most misunderstood creature on the planet. Sure, nearly everyone is familiar with them and probably has a visceral reaction when they are mentioned. But aside from the fact that they’re annoying and they bite us (which they actually don’t, by the way), what do you really know about these insects? Here are some interesting tidbits:

The males aren’t interested in your blood

There are about 3,500 species of mosquitos, so you can imagine how many millions are flying around right now. However, the females are the only ones you have to worry about. For their eggs to develop, females need to feast on blood in order to obtain its valuable nutrients.

Tires help them get around the world

Nope, they’re not hitching a ride on cars, but it’s kind of close. If you have an old tire in your yard, it probably has water in it, and this can be a big attraction to mosquitos, as standing water is ideal for laying eggs. And because tires are still transported around the world on ships, this can lead to huge breeding grounds, with eggs ready to hatch as soon as they reach their destination.

One mating experience is enough

Here is an especially crazy mosquito fact: They only need to mate one time. Once the act is completed, the female can actually store the sperm and continue to use it to fertilize her eggs for the rest of her life. That lifespan may only end up being six weeks or so, but it’s still rather impressive.

A bacterium may save the day

There is a bacterium called Wolbachia that is found in quite a few insect species, including mosquitos. Wolbachia can prevent these mosquitos from getting diseases like Zika and dengue, which means that they wouldn’t be able to spread them to humans. Researchers are now trying to figure out how to infect more mosquitos with it, which could potentially save millions of (human) lives.

Learning more about mosquitos probably won’t make you like them any better, but these facts may help you answer a question the next time you watch Jeopardy. And if you are much more concerned about getting information on how to keep mosquitos out of your yard and away from your family, get in touch with Platinum Mosquito Protection. We have developed an automatic misting system that will let you enjoy your yard without having to coat yourself in bug spray. For a free onsite consultation, just fill out this contact form.