Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes have been around for over 30 million years. There are over 2,700 species of mosquitoes in the world. Common for all species is that they need water to breed and will use any source of stagnant water. In warm weather mosquitoes can produce a new generation as often as every seven days.

 It is only the female mosquito that bites
After mating; the female mosquito seeks a blood meal to obtain the protein necessary for the development of her eggs. After the blood meal is digested the eggs are laid and the female mosquito again seeks blood to produce her next batch of eggs. Depending on her stamina and the weather, she may repeat this process several times without mating again. The male mosquito feeds on plant nectar and lives for only a short time after mating.

The female mosquito is attracted by several things including heat, light, perspiration, body odour, lactic acid and carbon dioxide. It is not a myth - some people are more prone to insect attack than others. The skin produces hundreds of different chemicals and one person's chemical 'mix' may be more attractive to a mosquito than another's.

When the female mosquito stings, she injects some saliva into the bite to prevent the blood from coagulating. After she has bitten, some of the saliva remains in the bite and evokes an immune response from your body. The area swells and you itch. Eventually, the swelling goes away, but the itch remains until your immune cells have broken down the saliva proteins.

Diseases and mosquito bites
Apart from the irritation and unpleasantness following mosquito bites, mosquitoes can carry many types of diseases caused by bacteria, parasites or vira. These diseases include malaria, yellow fever, West Nile virus and many more.