Mosquitoes are active depending on the weather and air temperature. In temperate climates, the appearance of mosquitoes begins in May and ends around October. In the northern regions, the peak of mosquito activity decreases already in August or September.
If the winter was snowy and the spring was early, consistently warm and moderately humid, then mosquitoes appear already in April. And if the spring was hot and dry, without rain, then these insects may remain inactive until June. However, mosquitoes do not disappear when the thermometer begins to slowly creep down. These insects have learned to adapt to climate change and find suitable shelters for themselves.
Start and end of the season
For the full development and reproduction of these flying insects, a temperature of at least +100C and high humidity are required. Such conditions appear with the arrival of spring warmth. During this period, the hibernating female bloodsuckers wake up after winter, and their flight season begins.
Only female mosquitoes bite. To successfully lay eggs, they need human or animal blood rich in nutritional components. They digest it in the intestines and synthesize proteins necessary for the development of eggs. In this regard, insects are especially active after waking up.
Drunk on blood
With rising temperatures in the summer months and regular rains, the number of flying insects increases sharply, as the process of reproduction of bloodsuckers proceeds at an accelerated pace.
Mosquitoes disappear when conditions no longer meet the criteria for their life activity. With the arrival of autumn, as soon as it starts to get colder, the number of bloodsuckers decreases. The remaining individuals look for secluded places for wintering.
Mosquitoes will disappear when the first frosts arrive. This means their season is over.
Sounds
What sound do mosquitoes not like? Insects are repelled by the sound of the rustling wings of a dragonfly and the sonar of bats. Natural predators of mosquitoes eat them in large quantities. Studies have been conducted, one bat eats more than six hundred mosquitoes in an hour. It is not surprising that the sounds that predators make scare away insects. The same applies to birds; no studies have been conducted, but experts say that the tit eats insects equal in weight to its own.
Thus, ultrasonic repellers imitate the sounds of predators. The creators of the devices say that mosquitoes do not like a frequency of 30 kHz; it plunges them into panic.
It remains a mystery whether ultrasound actually works on mosquitoes. But in any case, the sound of danger scares away animals and insects.
Bloodsuckers in the northern regions
Mosquitoes are widespread throughout Russia. But in Siberia they are found in large numbers. This is due to the fact that one of the important conditions for the life of bloodsuckers is high humidity. And in this region, when the sun warms the tundra in summer, many vast swamps form, where bloodsuckers live. In arid regions, mosquitoes die quickly, even if the air temperature is favorable for their life.
These flying insects, living in the northern regions, have, in the process of evolution, acquired resistance to low temperatures. With the arrival of cold weather, only males die, and fertilized females and larvae overwinter under ice and snow. During this period, they enter diapause, which leads to a slowdown in metabolic processes, resulting in resistance to unfavorable conditions.
My home is my castle?
Looking for shelter from mosquitoes within the walls of your home is a futile task. Insects easily enter apartments through windows and ventilation openings. The absence of a body of water near the house is not an obstacle to the successful life of bloodsuckers. In the warm season, mosquitoes find refuge in:
- lawn with wet grass;
- puddle in the basement;
- ventilation pipes;
- bathroom.
But mosquitoes cannot survive indoors because the insects' main food source is flower nectar. Males, deprived of a food source, die first. Females that have drunk blood live 2-3 days longer. If indoor plants bloom in a living room, the life of the mosquito is extended. During this period, the female can successfully lay fertilized eggs in a cool bathroom or flower pot.
Night activities
Mosquitoes begin active flight between 20:00 and 22:00 in the evening, and also at 4-6:00 in the morning. It is at this time that the temperature becomes comfortable, atmospheric pressure normalizes, and humidity rises.
Night activity
Females bite more often in the evening, much less often in the morning. The best option is a sleeping person or animal that does not respond to squeaks. In search of prey, females are able to cover distances of up to 50 km. Scientists conducted a study and found that mosquitoes are especially aggressive during the full moon. During this time, they bite 500 times more often than usual.
Information about the mosquito family
Mosquitoes live all over the globe. Most representatives of the mosquito family choose countries with warm climates. But long-legged mosquitoes have chosen the cold regions of the Arctic and Antarctic. The life cycle of northern inhabitants is several weeks throughout the year, but they manage to reproduce in huge quantities.
Nature has equipped mosquitoes with a powerful navigation system. Insects can detect the smell of human sweat at a distance of 5 km, and body heat - 50 m. If the wind blows from the side of a potential victim, the indicators increase. The mosquito's antennae segments, which react to stimuli emanating from the victim, help the mosquito determine the exact location of a person.
Mosquitoes attack mammals, driven by the instinct of procreation. Animal blood serves as excellent nutrition for the larvae. Therefore, people, animals, birds, and reptiles become victims. But males are not interested in humans, because they feed on flower nectar and juice.
A female squeak is a sign of readiness to mate. Therefore, a swarm of mosquitoes emitting a nasty squeak is nothing more than a love tryst.
What determines the lifespan of mosquitoes?
The death of these flying insects occurs not only due to the aging of their body. There are other factors on which the lifespan of bloodsuckers depends.
Mosquitoes die from high or low air temperatures. Also, the death of insects occurs as a result of lack of nutrition when plants wither in the fall, since mosquitoes feed mainly on their juice and nectar, and they need the blood of humans and animals only for breeding.
These flying insects also have natural enemies: birds, dragonflies, frogs, fish, spiders. They can also significantly reduce mosquito populations.
The cause of the female's premature death can also be her bloodthirstiness. Females are able to drink large amounts of nutritious fluid. In some cases, the volume of absorbed blood significantly exceeds the body weight of the insect. In this case, the body cannot cope with the load, which leads to the death of the female.
Features of insects
Mosquitoes belong to the order Diptera because they have two pairs of wings. The posterior ones are called “haleteres”. The heads of insects are equipped with long antennae of 6 or more segments. Males have feathery antennae with a large surface, which helps them detect females ready to mate.
The oral apparatus of insects is a case in which two pairs of jaws are hidden. In females, they are equipped with thin teeth, with which insects pierce the skin of their victims. Males drink plant sap and eat pollen; their jaws are not designed for obtaining blood.
There are 100 species of mosquitoes in Russia. The most common 3 blood-sucking species are:
- Real mosquitoes (culexes). This is an insect 4-10 mm long with two wings. A species of culex, the common mosquito, lives in forests and cities.
- A biting mosquito reaching 7 mm in length. It is distinguished by its original color - white stripes on its legs and body. The insect lives in the southern regions, mainly in forests.
- A malaria mosquito that carries dangerous parasites - malarial plasmodia. It is similar in appearance to the Culex, but has longer legs and antennae.
Facts about Bite Activity
Facts about mosquitoes for children - an insect bites about 15 times in one night. An experiment on the Canadian tundra showed that in a minute young mosquitoes bite the body, arms, legs, and neck about 9,000 times. At this rate, a person risks losing half of his blood in 2 hours.
Mosquitoes sleep all winter, crawling into crevices and forest floors. But as soon as you bring them into a warm room, they instantly wake up. Fertilized females go into hibernation and immediately lay eggs when the weather warms up. Active mating season can be seen in April-May. Mosquitoes gather in groups, mating takes place on the fly.
Small ordinary mosquitoes are amazing creatures that never cease to shock people with their abilities.
Vegetation
For rest and shelter, insects use the dense foliage of trees, tall grass, and shrubs. They are attracted to various weeds. But there is a tree that mosquitoes do not like; they are afraid of it. This is a tree with a pungent odor of fruits or inflorescences.
Mosquitoes avoid:
- Rowan
- Bird cherry
- Walnut
- Elderberry
- Conifers.
There are plants that lure insects with their scent and destroy them. These are plants that are predators - butterwort, sundew, flycatcher, dewweed.
Flowers that mosquitoes do not like are calendula, geranium, ageratum.
Insects do not like the smell of grass with a pungent aroma. Mosquitoes and midges do not like this. For the same reason, mosquitoes do not like the smell of vanilla. Vanilla-based folk remedies for repelling mosquitoes have been successfully used, which can be used both at home and outdoors. These are essential oils, sticks or confectionery powder. Mosquitoes do not like vanillin, but use it with caution; you may develop an allergy to vanilla.
Not all people are allergic to mosquito saliva
Mosquito saliva lubricates the proboscis to better glide over the skin and penetrate its thickness. When a mosquito finds a good vessel under the skin, it also releases some of its saliva into the wound. Most people experience a skin reaction after being bitten by a mosquito. The pain from the bite and the resulting red bump are tolerable, but the constant itching just drives us crazy.
The fact is that during a mosquito bite, our immune system sends immunoglobulins (antibodies) to the affected area. These antibodies cause your mast cells to release histamines to fight the foreign substance. Histamine reaches the affected area, causing the blood vessels there to swell, and it is the action of histamine that causes the lump. When the blood vessels dilate, the swelling irritates the nerves, which feels like itching. However, some people do not have this reaction to mosquito bites and even avoid mosquito bites because their sweat has repellent properties.
Facts about flight abilities
The female can boast of special achievements. Female representatives fly far to find a source of nutrition - blood. The speed of a mosquito is 3.2 km per hour. If absolutely necessary, insects fly to a maximum distance of 300 km. Provided that food supplies have been replenished beforehand. To cover such a distance you need to fly about 35 hours.
Flight range is not the most surprising thing. There is no exact data to what height insects can rise. Many experts insist that mosquitoes do not rise higher than 15 m above the ground, which is approximately the 3rd floor of a house. However, there are facts that mosquitoes were found on glass from the outside on the 22nd floor.
The mosquito weighs only 3 g. At the slightest breath of wind, it changes its route. Streams can carry it over long distances, both upward and to the side. Amazing behavior of blood-sucking creatures during the rain.
On a note!
When a drop hits the limbs, the mosquito simply changes its route; on the body, it moves downwards for some time along with the drop. If a droplet falls on the body of a mosquito that is on a hard surface, death occurs. The facts were obtained in laboratory conditions.
