Posted on 06/03/2021 6:22:38 PM PDT by SamAdams76
I spent my morning walking the dog and serving as an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet for my local mosquito population. It got me thinking about the little buzzers and prompted several crucial questions in my head. I now have the answers.
Death by mosquito draining?
For an average person, losing two liters of blood becomes life-threatening. The average mosquito bite drains 0.01 to 0.001 milliliters of blood. Thus it would take somewhere between 200,000 and 2 million mosquito bites to kill you from blood loss. For the average adult male (a.k.a. me), that works out to between 68 and 680 bites for every square inch of skin. (Converted from average body surface area of adult male: 1.9 square meters.)
Optimal temperature for mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes are happiest and most active when the temperature hovers around 80 degrees. They become sluggish once temperatures dip to 60 degrees and most species cease activity entirely somewhere in the mid-fifties.
Largest mosquito in the world?
The so-called “elephant mosquito” (toxorhynchites speciosus) can grow up 1.5 inches in length and lives in coastal Australia. If it drank blood, it might take fewer than 200,000 bites to drain you dead. But it doesn’t — it feeds on plant juices and nectar.
Number of mosquito species?
There are approximately 3,500 species of mosquitoes worldwide. Approximately 175 have been found in the United States, but the numbers are fewer in Northeast states, including Massachusetts (~50 species), New York (~70), and Maryland (~60).
Do mosquitoes bite some people more than others?
Yes, for a variety of reasons, including your blood type, temperature, clothing color, alcohol consumption, and more.
I seem to remember some horror flick from years ago about giant mosquitos that would suck you dry in one go. I forget the name of the movie though.
Salt marsh mosquitoes have been known to kill cattle due to the huge swarms
I've gotten as many as 37 mosquito bites in a night while camping outdoors.
So not even close to death although I had a lot of itchy bumps on my skin.
Perhaps only one if its carrying yellow fever.
“clothing color”?
They can see colors???
Great episode !!
This is a man with a lot of time on his hands, lol.
Only one if the mosquito is carrying Zika virus, West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, Dengue virus or the plasmodium parasite.
The bigger problem is the diseases the carry. Malaria top of the list but many others as well. In those cases just one bite can kill you
That's a great memory!
There was a yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia in 1793.
they like O blood more than A blood people. Citronella, lemon grass, some other oils you can use to deter them from you or a room/area. I lived at a place one year that got swarmed with them and didn’t sleep for nights because they were all through the place biting me through multiple layers of covers which i was fully under. Then I learned about the oils and that a good breeze also helps so they can’t attack you. not sure how you would use that for walking the dog, but definitely helps to have fan blowing the air around. some people say garlic pills help, i never tried that.
My brother was stationed in Alaska once for a time and said there were reports of bush pilots having gone down who died from blood loss and the venom from the mosquitoes.
Yep, mosquitos and especially blackflies are attracted to lighter colors. Ask any fisherman!
I have a ThermaCell I keep in my camping stuff, it really works to keep the mosquitos at bay.
yes they suck the blood out of your wallet for refills, but I just buy them offseason
That is not borne out in our household.
Type A mr. mm gets swarmed and while I get chased, not like him.
My sister thinks blood sugar levels play a role. She’s diabetic and gets swarmed as well.
I also understand that B vitamins are supposed to help.
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