The mosquito | Facts & Information

The mosquito lives in swamps mainly in Africa, South America and Southern Asia.

Mosquito Feed

While males are content to feed on plant nectar and water and grow, females need blood to provide the proteins necessary for reproductive maturation and egg production.

They are equipped with a complex sensory system for detecting the "blood donor" and are especially attracted by heat, humidity, colors and intense fragrances. The mosquito lands on the skin and stings using a tube equipped with small teeth through which it sucks blood.

Because the sting does not reach the nerve endings, the victim does not feel pain and the person often does not even realize that he is stung, until later, when the itch appears. After feeding on blood like a small Vampire, The female mosquito lays her eggs.

Through the sting the mosquito can transmit many infectious diseases, some particularly serious, such as malaria, yellow fever and various forms of encephalitis. Experts say that HIV is not transmitted.

Features Mosquito

The body consists of the head, thorax and abdomen. It has two wings and the mouthpiece is specialized for stinging and sucking. Shows external skeleton of chitin. The head consists of two compound eyes, two articulated antennae and a mouth with chitinous parts.

On the dorsal side of the thorax are grasping the wings, and on the ventral side are grasping three pairs of articulated legs. The abdomen consists of eight segments, at each segment, on the ventral side, there is a pair of respiratory orifices called sigmas. Breathing is tracheal

Children are ideal targets for mosquitoes: they have thin skin, shallow blood vessels, easy to penetrate and a deep sleep.

The child cannot bear the itch, so he will scratch more than an adult, causing small wounds that favor infection with bacteria normally found on the skin.

By stinging, mosquitoes can inoculate human pathogens that cause diseases such as malaria, yellow fever and others, especially in tropical and subtropical geographical areas where such diseases are widespread.

But a few years ago there was also a severe epidemic of encephalitis, caused by the West Nile virus, transmitted by mosquito bites. In very sensitive people, especially if the stings are numerous, the affected areas swell and the malaise generalizes (urticaria, decreased blood pressure). Then we have to go to the doctor.

Expose the skin as little as possible, especially after insertion; wear white clothes, made of natural fiber fabrics. Avoid alcohol-based perfumes, deodorants, hairspray: their smell attracts insects. Make sure that there are no wet areas in the House, garden or on the balcony.

For effective and long-lasting protection, doctors recommend the use of repellents, which applied directly to the skin keep insects at bay. They do not belong to the category of insecticides and have a pleasant smell. For example, SC Johnson Wax's Autan Family lotion, emulsion and stick product range is suitable for any skin type, even for children or people with sensitive skin.

Some people have much more severe reactions to mosquito bites than the vast majority. For many of us, a mosquito bite means local itching and a small swelling that subsides within a few hours.

But there is also the possibility of more serious allergic reactions, such as Skeeter syndrome, which causes the swelling caused by the bite to become very large, about the size of a plum, and very painful.The allergy is caused by compounds in the saliva of mosquitoes. The effects are not worse in the long run, but at the moment the reaction is more than unpleasant.

Mosquito Breeding

Mosquitoes breed in swamps, lakes or wherever there is standing water.

In just seven days, the mosquito becomes an adult. The female survives up to three weeks in the summer and many months over the winter to lay her eggs in the spring.

To prevent an attack of mosquitoes, it is good to periodically freshen the water in containers, to Sane the places where this puddle, to take care that the grass is mowed because they like to hide there.

We also need to choose places to spend time outdoors that benefit from a slight breeze or current, because mosquitoes can not fly when the wind blows.