A Cup of Coffee – The Roadmap of a Mosquito

Welcome back! Last week, we talked about herpes being a risk factor for Alzheimer’s. If you missed that blog and would like to catch up, click HERE.

This week, we are going to ask some questions about mosquitoes. How do they work, why you don’t feel them until it’s too late, can they carry diseases, who are they attracted to, and how to prevent bites without using toxic spray? Let’s get into it…

The mosquito

To start this conversation, we must first get to know the mosquito.

According to Wikipedia, The word “mosquito” (formed by mosca and diminutive -ito) is Spanish for “little fly“. Mosquitoes have a slender segmented body, one pair of wings, one pair of halteres, three pairs of long hair-like legs, and elongated mouthparts.

The mosquito life cycle consists of egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages. Eggs are laid on the water’s surface; they hatch into motile larvae that feed on aquatic algae and organic material. These larvae are important food sources for many freshwater animals, such as dragonfly nymphs, many fish, and some birds such as ducks.

Aha. So they do serve a purpose other than to bite us and make us itch. Good to know.

After they hatch, what do they look like?

They almost look like little tadpoles, swimming around in water dishes and swimming pools, but they are not, and there are ways to prevent this from ever happening (the hatching, that is).

In Oregon, Clackamas County has a vector department that can help (well, any vector department can help, actually). Read on to see how…

I hate killing any living thing…

Good news! You don’t have to! Here are some tips to keep your mosquito population from ever happening in the first place:

Mosquitoes require standing water for their production. Eliminating standing water early in the spring will reduce the production of those summer mosquitoes.

Here are a few ideas for searching out and eliminating potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes:

• Keep bird baths and ornamental ponds clean. In warm weather, change water weekly. Call the Vector Control District to have Gambusia affinis placed in your pond.
• Remove leaves from gutters so water will flow freely. Fill or drain puddles, ditches, and swampy areas.
• Eliminate standing water around animal watering troughs.
• Check around faucets and air conditioner units and repair leaks and eliminate puddles that remain for several days.
• Dispose of, or store in a dry place, any cans, bottles, tires, and any other containers that hold water.
• Cover boats or store them upside down or in a dry place.
• Where feasible, fill all holes in the trees on your property.
• When swimming season is over, empty and store wading pools in a dry place. Cover large pools and check frequently to insure against mosquito breeding. Pool chemicals like chlorine, at ordinary concentrations, will not kill mosquito larvae.

Elimination of standing water must be done no later than early April to reduce later mosquito problems. Continue to monitor potential breeding grounds throughout the summer.

It’s too late…they hatched…now what?

Stock the ponds with mosquito fish (provided by your vector department), you can even add goldfish for looks if you desire. Avoid spraying the pond with garden insect sprays and don’t chlorinate the pond, it kills the fish! If you need to clean the pond, put the fish into a small glass bowl and then clean it.

Remove leaves and thin out pond lilies from the pond, always keeping the water level up. Always remember to keep the inlet of the recirculating pump screened. If the pond is no longer desired, you can always break holes in the bottom of the pond and fill the pond with dirt or sand.

Whoah…mosquito fish?

Gambusia affinis are indispensable to mosquito control programs.

Mosquito fish are furnished — without charge — for stocking ornamental ponds, unused or out-of-order swimming pools, and animal troughs. Check with your local vector department in your county.

They require no feeding and care is limited to protecting them from garden sprays and chlorine or other chemicals used to clean ponds.

Mosquito fish do not lay eggs but rather give birth to well-developed and very active young. Therefore, they require no special environment, as other fish do, for depositing and hatching their eggs.

They breed throughout the summer and new broods are produced at intervals of about six weeks, with 50 to 100 young in a single brood. The young are about 1/4 inch in length when born and are ready to begin their work of eating larvae at once.

Gambusia affinis grow rapidly, reaching a maximum size of about three inches. The earliest broods of the season, born in April and May, become sexually mature and produce young when six to eight weeks old.

I’m too late this year and the mosquitos are out to get me

Know thy mosquito. They are not all created the same. Female mosquitoes bite people and animals to get a blood meal. Most female mosquitoes cannot produce eggs without a blood meal. Male mosquitoes do not bite people and animals.

• Males are smaller than females
• Compared to males, females have a more needle-like proboscis, which they use for biting
• Males have bushy, hairy antennae, while the antennae of females are a lot less hairy

Male mosquitoes feed only on plant juices, such as nectar, to get the sugar they need for energy and survival. As males do not bite, they cannot transmit diseases.

Female mosquitoes, on the other hand, need protein from the blood for the development of their eggs. To obtain blood, females seek out and bite hosts such as humans, and may transmit disease in the process.

What kind of diseases?

First off, let’s not panic if we get a bite. According to CT.gov, if bitten by an infected mosquito, the chance of a person developing an illness is roughly one in 300. Therefore, the chance of being bitten by an infected mosquito and developing disease symptoms from that bite is very small. This does not mean, however, that people should be complacent.

The CDC weighs in on the matter: Mosquito-borne diseases are those spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Diseases that are spread to people by mosquitoes include Zika virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, dengue, and malaria.

Although people may not become sick after a bite from an infected mosquito, some people have a mild, short-term illness or (rarely) severe or long-term illness. Severe cases of mosquito-borne diseases can cause death.

Why don’t we know a mosquito has bitten us until it’s too late?

When the mosquito bites, it injects saliva into our skin which contains proteins that prevent our blood from clotting. This saliva also includes an anesthetic. This is the reason we most often do not feel it.

When a female mosquito lands on her victim she inserts her proboscis into your skin. Her proboscis is very thin and very sharp. She then begins her blood meal feeding until her abdomen is full, and then flies away. After we’ve been bitten, we begin to itch because of our body’s response to the saliva that stays in the wound. This saliva she left us with causes the wound to itch and swell.

Help me stop the itching, please!

This may sound foolish, but I swear to you it works. Take an onion and slice off a fresh piece. Apply it directly to the bite. Rub it around and get the juice of the onion into the bite and hold it there for a few minutes. We used this every year at home and it never failed to help. A few days later if it starts to itch again, reapply. (now please, I’m not a doctor, so don’t come at me with this one).

A more conventional method (according to the CDC):

• Wash the area with soap and water.
• Apply an ice pack for 10 minutes to reduce swelling and itching. Reapply the ice pack as needed.
• Apply a mixture of baking soda and water, which can help reduce the itch response.
• Anti-itch cream for a mosquito bite. Credit: Getty Images.
  • Mix 1 tablespoon baking soda with just enough water to create a paste.
  • Apply the paste to the mosquito bite.
  • Wait 10 minutes.
  • Wash off the paste.
• Use an over-the-counter anti-itch or antihistamine cream to help relieve itching. Follow the product label directions.

I always get bitten but my friend does not…why?

My mama told me it was because I was so sweet (awwwwwww!). But seriously…

Mosquitoes have been around for over 30 million years and during that time they have been honing their skills so that they are experts at finding the right prey.

First, they have tools to target their victims. Mosquitoes sense carbon dioxide and lactic acid from 100 feet away. Humans and other mammals give off these gases every time we breathe.

Mosquitoes can also detect heat, which we all emit and this makes us an easy target. Mosquitoes can also see us. The color we wear and our movements can attract mosquitoes also.

Colors? Prove it…

The University of Washington study, published in February 2022 and titled “The olfactory gating of visual preferences to human skin and visible spectra in mosquitoes,” involved releasing mosquitoes into a controlled wind tunnel, where researchers could fully manage the visual and olfactory environment. This was one of the first comprehensive studies on the topic, with very little research previously available on mosquitoes’ color preferences.

Researchers had already established that mosquitoes’ senses are activated by the scent of carbon dioxide, which is emitted by humans when we exhale. Mosquitoes can detect the scent of CO2 from approximately 100 feet away. Once they detect the smell, their visual senses activate and begin to detect color.

The study found that mosquitoes were most attracted to four colors: red, orange, black, and cyan. The presence of these colors caused them to remain in an area longer. These colors have longer wavelengths and colors with orange and red tones are present in human skin, which may be why mosquitoes are drawn to them.

They’re also attracted to the color black in the presence of carbon dioxide, perhaps because of its contrast with light colors and signal of shady areas where they can rest. However, scientists are still trying to establish mosquitoes’ attraction to the color cyan, an aqua-toned blue.

Camo for mosquitos?

Using the new color-attraction information, you can choose your clothing accordingly, avoiding red, orange, black, and cyan to not attract mosquitoes. It’s best to wear colors like white, blue, and green, which aren’t known to attract any variety of mosquitoes. One of the study’s lead scientists, Jeffrey Riffell, told Newsweek, “We can make ourselves basically invisible to the mosquitoes by using these optical filters.”

I don’t look good in white, blue, or green. What else can I do to deter a bite?

Treatment of your outdoor area by a licensed professional will dramatically reduce the mosquito population in your yard. Common sense safeguards such as keeping your lawn and garden free of standing water, which is appealing for mosquitoes to lay their eggs, are also key.

If planning a picnic or camping trip make sure you dress appropriately and carry insect repellent. Even though mosquitoes have become experts at biting us over the past 30 million years-we can still outsmart them by taking these measures.

Oh, I don’t want to spray toxic chemicals on my skin…

Me either. Here’s another wonky tip that is NOT backed by science (well, not 100%, anyway).

Avon’s “Skin So Soft”. I kid you not, and I’m not the only one who believes this.

The Army Institute researchers tried out Skin So Soft by putting it on the arms of three volunteers, fastening cages of mosquitos to their arms, and then counting how often the mosquitos bit the treated skin. They found that it did protect against mosquitos, though not as well as DEET. (Jun 20, 2023)

In Canada, another study concluded: Results suggest that ASSS may be used as an alternative to DEET in areas where mosquitoes are nuisance pests and mosquito repellents are needed solely to promote comfort. However, the use of any product less effective than DEET should be avoided in areas where mosquito-transmitted disease results in significant morbidity or mortality.

I’ll take it.

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As always, this blog is not a replacement for sound medical advice. I am not a doctor. Please make an appointment to see your healthcare provider and put a good plan in place that works for you and the needs of your body.

That’s all I have for you this week, dear reader. I’ll see you back here next Wednesday to share another cup of coffee. Until then, be good to yourself and each other.

Mind, Body, Spirit…Osteopathic Doctors treat the whole person, not just the ailment. Is your PCP a DO? Would you like to learn more about Osteopathic Physicians? Click HERE!