The dengue mosquito (Aedes aegypti) belongs to the Order Diptera and Family Culcidae. It is an introduced species found in Queensland, and has also been known in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and southern New South Wales. I feel it is also now found in other parts of Australia as well.
It is a pest mosquito and can be a carrier of Dengue Fever, Murray Valley encephalitis. Ross River virus and of course malaria. The female mosquito is dark coloured with white markings on the back and white bands on the legs. The thorax is dark with a lighter curved marking on each side and two light stripes running down the centre. The size is 3-4mm in length.
Adult mosquitoes may be found near houses and will bite during the day or evening. It is the female that feeds on blood; the males feeds on the nectar of flowers. (I certainly prefer the male of the species in this instance).
The female lays her eggs in water. When first laid the egg are white but soon turn black. The larvae feed on bacteria in the water.
I am very fortunate that mosquitoes don't seem to like me very much and yet my daughter and, in particular, one of her daughters are always prone to being attacked and bitten by the little beasties. The three of us can sit together and they will be bitten and I won't. I sometimes feel as if something is hovering around my legs but no bites result. I have researched why this may be the case and I find that people with type O blood are more susceptible than those with type A while those with type B sort of fall in between A and B. I am sure my daughter and granddaughter are all type A the same as me so there must be more to it than that. I also found that the amount of carbon dioxide we breath out may also be an attractant to mosquitoes and also if one drinks beer. Neither of of we three drink beer so that rules out beer. Overweight people also tend to get bitten more (so 'they' say) and yet I know quite skinny people that also are bitten regularly. I feel there is a lot more work to be done by scientists before they find out the true reasons why some people's blood tastes delicious to mosquitoes while that of other people apparently does not. I just hope anyone who reads this manages to avoid mosquito bites this summer or, for that matter, at any time during the year.
My blood group is A minus and I am a mozzie magnet. Sigh. I can be savaged and the skinny one is left strictly alone. Which amuses him, and irritates me. Not only do the little blighters fang into me, I come up in large welts - which weep and itch. Even when I don't scratch them.
ReplyDeleteOh poor you, that is dreadful. Kakka is also A negative so perhaps there is a reason there for the mozzies to enjoy you both. I doubt they will ever find an answer to why you and not me.
DeleteMosquitos like sweet: I've read that adding vinegar to the daily diet can deter the little buggers, they don't like the way it affects the smell or taste of a person. I often drink vinegar and honey as a hot tea, also cold if I let it sit too long, and haven't been bitten in years. My ex, who rarely eats anything sweet is never bitten. As children, mum would rub us down with vinegar, even in the hair, before sending us out to play in the cooling dusk. We never got bitten.
ReplyDeleteNow there's a good tip for people prone to be bitten by mozzies. Rub vinegar on their arms and legs. I'll pass that on. I used to honey and cider vinegar but I've not done that for yonks. Maybe should get back on to it, not anti-mozzie but just 'cos it's good for one.
DeleteJust had a thought, you don't get bitten because of your sugar restrictions, mosquitos don't like your taste.
ReplyDeleteI'm an AB+
I do have sweet things though. It's more fats that we try to avoid for diabetes. I have my drumstick every night still. lol
DeleteIt's me again, I remember newspaper articles a few months ago warning of an Asian mosquito now making its way into Australia, apparently it can be quite deadly, I don't remember the type, wish I did.
ReplyDeleteI too read or heard about that one. We are being invaded.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteI was shocked to find that mosquitoes have found their way into - and adapted - to the UK climate. There were always, 'midgies', this island's equivalent bitey nuisance, but no risk to health per se. Sigh. I had a bout of Dengue in Mumbai. Took a while to get over that one!! YAM xx
Phil was horrified to hear the mozzies have landed in the UK but he well remembers the midgies. He wonders if perhaps the bird population has changed so not so many insects being devoured by them. All these rotten fevers can be very debilitating. xx
DeleteMy grandpa had perniious anaemia..he never got bitten either.
ReplyDeleteThat's a new slant on it. He would have been short of vitamin B12 of course.
DeleteMozzies love my daughter. Just the other morning she woke up with massive white welts surrounded by red, just from mozzies. They're not so keen on me. Apparently high levels of vitamin D are a deterrent to midges (awful bitey things in Queensland) - perhaps it's a vitamin/mineral thing with mozzies too?
ReplyDeleteOh poor girl. I remember being on holidays once and getting bitten by fleas and they left me with a large circle of bites that itched for days. We take Vit D now but before that neither Phil nor I were worried by the mozzies. It's just so weird.
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