“You Can Hear the Bastards Buzzin’...©”

 

 

Actual size of Alaskan Moosekito!

Do you know what the most dangerous creature in the wilds of North America and most of the rest of the world is?  It isn’t Lions, tigers and bears”.  Lions killed about 250 people in 2022, elephants and hippos kill 500 each, crocodiles about 1,000, snakes 100,000, dogs 30,00, tigers 50 and bears just one¹, all of them wannabes, anemic imitators of the true champion.  So, do you know who the champ is?

 

Here is a hint, “There's a dozen on my cousin, I can hear them bastards buzzin’...”² 

 

And the judges all agree, “...the winner and still champion of the world”, is ... the mosquito!

 

Depending on which source you consult, somewhere between one to ten million people die yearly of mosquito borne diseases, diseases such as malaria, filariasis, yellow fever, dengue, and encephalitis.  And nearly half of the world’s population live in areas where malaria carrying mosquitoes thrive³. 

 

Malaria was common in the United States into the 20th century and most of the continental United States has anopheles mosquitoes, particularly Anopheles freeborni and Anopheles quadrimaculatus, the mosquitos which can spread malaria.  And as recent news reports show, mosquitoes capable of carrying and transmitting malaria still inhabit most parts of the United States and approximately 2,000 cases malaria, mostly related to travel to or from sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, are diagnosed in the United States each year, and approximately 300 people experience severe symptoms, with 5 to 10 people dying from malaria yearly.

 

The mosquito

 

Mosquitoes belong to the group of insects known as diptera, and diptera, which means “two wings”, and this is the characteristic that distinguishes flies from other types of insects.  The name  mosquito, in Spanish means “little fly”.  The hair-like scales on its body and the proboscis, it’s stinger, or long tubular mouthparts for sucking up fluids, is what distinguishes a mosquito from other types of flies.

 

Many types of mosquitoes live in continental North America, but these only six spread pathogens (viruses and parasites) that can make people sick.  Mosquitoes that bother people, but do not spread pathogens are considered nuisance mosquitoes.

The six types of mosquitoes found in North America that can spread pathogens are...

 

The Yellow Fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, the Western Malaria mosquito, the Asian, tiger or forest mosquito, Aedes albopictus Anopheles freeborni, the Common Malaria mosquito, Anopheles quadrimaculatus, the Northern House mosquito, Culex pipiens, the Southern House mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus, and the Western Encephalitis mosquito, Culex tarsalis.

 

The Yellow Fever Mosquito was the first mosquito suspected of spreading disease to humans and historically spread Yellow fever, although today it is more often associated with Dengue fever. 

 

The Common Malaria mosquito, found throughout the eastern United States, often in large numbers in the southeastern states, notably along the Gulf of Mexico. 

 

The Northern House mosquito is a major carrier of pathogens worldwide, and in North America, this mosquito is found in the northern United States and southern Canada, in areas above 39° north latitude, throughout urban, suburban, and rural areas.  The closely related Southern House mosquito is more commonly found in the southern half of the United States at latitudes below 36° north, as is the yellow fever mosquito. 

 

The Western Encephalitis mosquito is an opportunistic, highly aggressive day-biter, which readily enters buildings seeking blood meals.  The Western Malaria mosquito is found in the western United States and Canada.  

 

The Asian mosquito is a mosquito native to the tropical and subtropical parts of Southeast Asia and first appeared in Texas in 1985.

 

The life cycle of the mosquito

 

A female mosquito’s life is often measured in weeks or months, but male mosquitos live only about a week.  Male mosquitoes do not bite, feeding instead on nectar and other plant juices.  Only female mosquitoes bite because a blood meal is needed for egg laying.

 

Mosquitoes hatch from eggs, and some species lay egg rafts on areas that are already covered in water and others lay single eggs on areas that will soon be covered in water. 

 

The eggs hatch into “wrigglers”, or “wigglers”, because they wiggle violently when disturbed.  These worm-like larvae live just beneath the water’s surface, breathing through tubes on the tail end of their bodies.  Most mosquito larvae eat microorganisms and therefore require water containing organic material, such as leaves or sewage, to serve as food for microorganisms that will then be consumed by the developing mosquito larvae.

 

 

In less than a week, wrigglers can grow and change into comma-shaped pupae.  While larvae are commonly called “wigglers”, mosquito pupae are known as “tumblers” because they tumble through the water when disturbed.  The pupal stage continues to breathe through a snorkel, but don’t feed.  Within three days, the pupa transforms into an adult mosquito.

 

 

Fight the Bite

 

Female mosquitoes can be particular about what blood they consume, and each species has its own preferences.  Most mosquitoes bite birds and mammals, although some feed on the blood of reptiles and amphibians.

 

Various clues enable mosquitoes to zero in on people and other animals they seek to bite.  They can detect carbon dioxide exhaled by their hosts many feet away.  Mosquitoes also sense body chemicals, such as lactic acid in perspiration.  

 

As a mosquito homes in on its target, it looks for the movement of dark objects.  Once it finds a meal, it lands, inserts its proboscis and probes for blood vessels beneath the skin.  When it finds one, it injects saliva into the wound, and the saliva, which contains an anticoagulant, guarantees a steady, smooth flow of blood.  

 

Unfortunately, the mosquito’s saliva also may contain pathogens such as malaria parasites or encephalitis virus.  This is how mosquitoes transmit disease. 

 

Also, the mosquito’s saliva is what causes the swelling and itching at the site of the bite, which results from an allergic reaction to the mosquito’s saliva.  People have different reactions to mosquito bites, some showing very little sign of being bitten, while others exhibit substantial redness, swelling and itching. 

 

Some people taste better to mosquitoes than others.  One person sleeping in a mosquito-infested spot may wake up with dozens of mosquito bites, while the person sleeping next to them has none.  

 

Mosquitoes can fly long distances; some more than 20 miles from the water source that produced them.  Mosquitoes typically fly into the wind to help detect their next meal, but they don’t fly very fast, only about 4 miles an hour, so fewer

mosquitoes are out and about on windy days.

 

What to do

 

So, what should you do when travelling through the wilderness to avoid mosquitoes and mosquito borne diseases?

 

Outdoors, clothes, such as long sleeved shirts and long pants, are the first line of defense against mosquito bites.  Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors so wear light colors or khaki.  Spray you clothes with permethrin to keep the mosquitoes from landing on you.  For more on permethrin, read “Why Permethrin?...Mosquitos, Ticks and Flies…Oh My! ©”, HERE, or watch “Why Permethrin?...Mosquitos, Ticks and Flies…Oh My!”, HERE.

 

Your next line of defense is mosquito repellents.  There are different repellents on the market, and all provide, or say they provide, some degree of protection against mosquitoes.  However, certain repellents provide better protection than others.  For years, DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) has been the gold standard by which repellents are measured, and is the most widely used insect repellent, today.  The smell of DEET is highly offensive to mosquitos who avoid the scent.  It can be found in concentrations ranging from 10% to 100%.  The website SectionHiker⁴ notes that the main difference between the different concentrations is how long they remain effective.  They reported that a concentration of 30% will repel mosquitos and ticks for about 6-8 hours, while a concentration of 100% will last 8-10 hours before it needs to be reapplied.  For more on DEET, read “A Question About DEET, Does It Have A Shelf Life?©”, HERE.

 

Picaridin has been shown to provide a similar degree of protection to DEET, without the odor and stickiness.  

 

If you are travelling through the wilderness, try avoiding areas where mosquitoes breed and, if possible, don’t camp near them.

 

So now you now, stay safe, wear repellent and remember the mosquito is still them number one killer in the world.

 

Don’t forget to come back next week and read “The Anatomy of a Match©”, where we will talk about that life changing and wonderful device, the match, which revolutionized how we live,  to camp and stay warm and safe.

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

¹ Dr. Horst Stipp, Statista, “Deadliest animals worldwide by annual number of human deaths as of 2022*”

 

² From “There's a Skeeter on My Peter (Knock it Off)”, a well-known humorous song sung to the tune of “If You're Happy and You Know It” or “She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain”.  The earliest printed example of this song is found in the book “Parodology” (1927) where the melody is listed as an adaptation of the tune “Little Bit of Love”.  The earliest recorded version of this song is on LP “The Unexpurgated Folk Songs Of Men”, (1960), by Mark McCormack

 

From “There's a Skeeter on My Peter”, by Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias.

 

³ Illinois Department of Public Health, “Mosquitoes and Disease”

 

⁴ SectionHiker, “What’s the Difference Between 100% DEET and 30% DEET Insect Repellant?”, HERE.

 

 

Sources

 

 

Abdullah A. Alomar, Nathan D. Burkett-Cadena, Derrick K. Mathias; “Culex Pipiens”, September 2020, ©University of Florida, https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/aquatic/culex_pipiens.html, accessed June 4, 2023

 

Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias; “There's a Skeeter on My Peter”, https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/1846750, accessed June 4, 2023

 

Bishopp, F. C.; Domestic Mosquitos, Leaflet No. 186, U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://books.google.com/books?id=bdOPyM_chJkC&pg=PA5&dq=mosquito+illustration&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiMhZmev6r_AhWTGjQIHdjkBh0Q6AF6BAgLEAI#v=onepage&q=mosquito%20illustration&f=false, accessed June 4, 2023

 

CDC; “Mosquitos”, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/index.html, May 23, 2023

 

Harbin, E. O.; Paradology: Songs for Fun and Fellowship - a Collection of Stunt and Pep Songs for Camps, Parties, Worship and Pep Occasions, [1927], Number 39, page 16

 

Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health “Mosquitoes and Disease”, [© 2023 State of Illinois, Springfield, IL], https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/environmental-health-protection/structural-pest-control/mosquitoes-disease.html, Accessed July 11, 2023

 

Stipp, Dr. Horst; Statista, “Deadliest animals worldwide by annual number of human deaths as of 2022*”, https://www.statista.com/statistics/448169/deadliest-creatures-in-the-world-by-number-of-human-deaths/, accessed July 11, 2023

 

Werner, Philip; “What’s the Difference Between 100% DEET and 30% DEET Insect Repellant?”, SectionHiker, February 28, 2023, https://sectionhiker.com/whats-the-difference-between-100-deet-and-30-deet-insect-repellant/, accessed July 15, 2023