Today Fact

The facts as they lie
18th May 2007 - la mosquito.

Worldwide, mosquito-borne diseases kill more people than any other single factor. Mosquitoes can be carriers of malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever in humans.

In the United States, mosquitoes spread several types of encephalitis. They also transmit heart worms to cats and dogs

Mosquitoes do not feed on blood. The female mosquito requires a blood meal for development of her eggs

Mosquito adults feed on flower nectar, juices, and decaying matter for flight energy. The larvae are filter feeders of organic particulates.

The larval and pupal stages can be found in a variety of aquatic habitats including: discarded containers, tires, temporary woodland pools, tree and crab holes, salt marshes, and irrigation ditches.

One female mosquito may lay 100 to 300 eggs at a time and may average 1,000 to 3,000 offsprings during her life span. Mosquitoes breed in standing water, so eliminating standing water on your property reduces your risk.

People can attract mosquitoes from 40 miles away simply by breathing. When a person exhales, their carbon dioxide and other odors mix to produce a plume that travels through the air. The plume acts like a dinner bell to mosquitoes, letting them know a juicy meal is within range.

Mosquitoes fly up the plume in zigzag fashion until they arrive, for example, at a backyard cookout. Then they localize on eddies of other odors in the air using vision and heat sensing to make a selection. "Mosquitoes use odor to sort attractive people from the unattractive people to find those that are most tasty,"