It’s that time of year again – mosquitoes are coming out of their winter hiding places and into your environment. These very annoying insects, also known as Culicidae, can ruin your spring activities if you don’t take extra measures to avoid them and to protect yourself. One of the best ways to begin protecting yourself against mosquitoes is to learn more about them.
Did you know that only female mosquitoes bite humans and animals? Male mosquitoes only feed on nectar from flowers. Why? The females use the protein in your blood for their eggs. Female mosquitoes cannot reproduce at all without a blood meal first. In fact, when female mosquitoes are not trying to reproduce they typically stick to a diet similar to their male counterparts of flower nectar.
This may come as a shock, as it seems that mosquitoes tend to hunt down humans for blood, but some species of these pesky insects do not even like to feed on humans. They would much rather feast on the blood of amphibians or birds. One such species, known as the Culiseta Melanura, bites birds almost exclusively and rarely feeds on humans.
Lastly, adults tend to live 5 to 6 months, which is much longer than the normal insect average lifespan. With that being said, it is important to realize that these disease-spreading bugs can live a long time, making it easy for their population to increase rapidly and spontaneously. Keep an eye on local reports that tell you if the mosquito population around your home will be bigger than usual this year.