Mosquitos are just a part of camping in the warmer months, and even with bug spray and a wide variety of repellant products, mosquitos can still be a real nuisance. These annoying pests sustain themselves by sucking your blood – not unlike a vampire. However, far too many campers don’t understand the basics about mosquitos. Take a moment to consider some of these crazy and interesting facts about mosquitos.
Mosquitos are one of the Deadliest Animals on Earth
Though you might think a shark or lion is the deadliest animal on Earth, you would be dead wrong. The thing about mosquitos is that there are so many of them, and because they live off of blood, they frequently carry disease. This doesn’t mean that you are going to contract a terrible illness every time you get bitten by a mosquitos – far from it. However, globally, mosquitos are incredibly dangerous.
Only the Females Feed on Humans
Every mosquito that has bitten you in your lifetime for sustenance has been female. Crazy, right? The males can actually feed on the nectar of flowers. The females, on the other hand, need to find a source of protein for the process of egg creation. So, they have to turn to sources of food other than flowers. When the females aren’t producing eggs, though, they will also happily feed on flowers.
In fact, there are some types of mosquitos that don’t even like to feed on humans. Instead, they prefer to feed on animals and certain amphibians.
Their Wings are Incredibly Fast
If you ask anyone what animal beats its wings the fastest during trivia, most will tell you it’s the hummingbird. However, mosquitos actually beat their wings faster. A mosquito can beat its wings between 300-600 times per second! No wonder they make that awful, annoying, high pitched buzzing sound.
All Mosquitos Need Water to Reproduce
Mosquitos lay their eggs in wet, moist areas such as a puddle after a rain storm or in stagnate water such as a bird bath. If you are on a camping trip and notice an unusually high amount of mosquitos, it may just be that you are next to their breeding grounds. Make sure you don’t accidentally set up camp next to a puddle that is infested with mosquitos. It really doesn’t take much water at all to facilitate their breeding. In fact, just a couple of inches of water is all they need.
Their Lifespans are Very Short
Mosquitos don’t typically live very long. Adults may live as long as 4-6 months, but it is highly unlikely they will live that long. Between predators and annoyed campers slapping them silly, it is typical for them to have shorter lifespans. They survive as a species, however, because they reproduce extremely fast – like most other insects.
They are Hypersensitive to CO2
Carbon dioxide signifies that a meal might be in the vicinity, and mosquitos can detect CO2 from up to 75 feet away. Once a hungry female has caught the scent of CO2, she will search the area until she finds someone to feed on.
