Would you squish this south-of-the-border Paddle-Legged mosquito?
Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Flicker
Get Your Mosquito Repellent Ready
By Kevin McKeon, Maine Master Naturalist
In Hammana, Lebanon,130 million years ago, two mosquitoes were dining on some tree sap and got stuck, eventually becoming entombed within the amber that formed. These are the oldest mosquito fossils, but other evidence indicates that these insects flew among the dinosaurs, over 200 million years ago. Scientists theorize that these flies first ate sap and nectar — which they still do — but evolved to eat protein-rich blood for increased egg production.
The Center for Disease Control lists mosquitoes as the deadliest animal in the world; Mortality estimates vary, but 1 million people a year is a common number. If you want a mosquito-free life, move to Iceland or Antarctica. Otherwise, you’ll be sharing Earth with about 3,500 mosquito species. Over 40 species live in Maine, but less than 20 of those bother us, and it’s only the female of those that seek out blood. Male mosquitoes are strictly vegetarian, but both sexes eat nectar, pollen, sap, and fruit juices.
The males hatch before the females, living 10 days at most. His function is to mate, get gobbled up by other critters, and serve as an incidental pollinator. A female’s average life span is about 6 weeks but can live over 5 months. Some species will enter a form of dormancy called diapause and overwinter in a sheltered area.
After mating and a blood meal, she’s able to lay a raft of 100-300 eggs, every 3 days or so, on stagnate water held by forest pools, tin cans, tire dumps and watering buckets. She’ll need a blood meal for each egg raft and will do this throughout her life. Eggs usually hatch in about 2 days, but some will overwinter and can remain viable for years! Larva — wigglers — complete 4 molt stages, eating waterborne organic matter and microorganisms. They use a snorkel to breathe air and can also attach it to plant roots to get oxygen. After forming a pupa, they metamorphize into the well-known adult after 1-4 days. From egg to adult only takes about a week or longer in colder weather.
Their biting “sucker” — proboscis — is a 6-pronged micro-needle system protected within a sheath. Two prongs have tiny, saw-like teeth, used for skin penetration. Two more prongs keep the skin spread open, while a 5th “receptor” needle both senses a blood source and extracts it. The 6th needle injects anti-coagulants to increase blood flow. That’s also the stuff that itches and creates welts. When she’s full, sometimes after several bites, she’ll rest for 2-3 days and begin egg-laying.
Guess what the Mosquito Fish eats! Yup, and they were used by many areas worldwide for mosquito control but were later found to negatively affect the native aquatic populations. Some scientists call this guppy relative “one of the most problematic animals on the planet” and have designed a “Robot Fish” to mimic a Largemouth Bass, which literally scares the mosquito fish to death! But in Sochi, Russia, a Mosquito Fish Commemorative Statue proudly sits next to the Black Sea. It seems the Russians think it helped keep its citizens safe from mosquito-borne malaria.
Mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide, heat and various chemicals in human sweat- especially those emitted after beer-drinking…really! They seem to prefer type-O blood over A. So, seek out an O-blooded, out-of-shape, beer-drinking, trail-walking partner to minimize your mosquito bites! And, have a head net and repellent handy.
Biting video: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/06/07/480653821/watch-mosquitoes-use-6-needles-to-suck-your-blood
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