Mosquitoes are a scourge. Here in Texas, we worry about getting West Nile. Now we have to worry about Chikingunya? Ugh.
I went to South Dakota several years ago to see Mt. Rushmore. We watched the fireworks on July 4th at Rushmore, which was awesome! Anyway ... back to mosquitoes. The mosquitoes in Texas are so small and fast. It’s difficult to catch or smack ‘em. When I was in SD, I noticed that the mosquitoes are big and slow. It almost seems like they’re in a drunken stupor. You can snatch ‘em right out of the air! True story.
Well said! I agree completely. They truly are a scourge.
After I moved West I noticed a sudden decrease in mosquitoes and their bites, with the exception of an unfortunate three mile hike in the Sierra Nevadas a number of years ago. Half-way up a steep trail, I was suddenly swarmed by mosquitoes. They buzzed my face, were in my hair, on my neck, all up and down my sleeved arms, on my hands, on my jeans down to my hiking boots and I was miserable.
When we reached our higher altitude destination, despite it being July, there was still snow on the ground. I tried rolling in the snow to see if that would get them off of me. Oddly enough they stayed on me until we were half-way down the same trail and suddenly they flew off. It was the weirdest thing. They had swarmed me and left at approximately the same altitude and location. After returning from that venture I spent the next three days in bed with a fierce headache and nausea which I think was caused by the mosquito bites.
They have mosquito control programs here and despite many protests, they regularly spray to prevent West Nile virus.
The Tiger Mosquito entered the US through Houston’s Ports in 1985 and has spread throughout the South. This mosquito is unique because it feeds on anything which is a dangerous vector for viruses that can infect more than one species of animal. Unchecked immigration has consequences.