Fact No. 1: Mosquitoes bitten more dinosaurs
Yes it's true.
The first mosquitoes appeared on Earth more than 100 million years ago and reached 5 centimeters in length. In 2008, in the Spanish province of Cantabria, fossil insects with dinosaur blood in the stomachs were found. Modern individuals are much smaller, but enough million mosquitoes to deprive a person of all blood. True, the mosquito itself will die sooner from a toxic shock. In Siberia in ancient times, even there was such a form of execution - prisoners were tied to a tree and left to eat a nest, and in Persia, criminals were sent to swamp mosquitoes by boat.
Fact No. 2: Mosquitoes have a sting
It is not true. But technically he is just biting the skin. The proboscis of a mosquito is the jaws stretched out into the chute, behind which are concealed approximately 50 small teeth and a tongue that conducts saliva into the human circulatory system.
Fact No. 3: It's dangerous to scratch the place of a bite
This fact is not unique. Scratching the bite site is not dangerous. But, if you comb before the appearance of an open wound, then you can put an infection that threatens to contaminate the blood. An irresistible desire to comb a mosquito bite causes an anticoagulant - a special substance that injects an insect so that blood does not coagulate.
Fact No. 4: The malarial mosquito is larger than usual
It is not true. The malarial mosquito is about the same as the normal mosquito, but differs from its counterparts with an impressive mustache, dark spots on the wings and hind legs, which are much longer than the forelegs, which makes the mosquito sit on the victim only with a strong inclination of the body forward. An insect with long legs, from which everyone is afraid of catching malaria, is a long-legged, or caramore, absolutely not dangerous to humans. She eats nectar and plants. There are more than 440 species of malarial mosquitoes in the world.
Fact No. 5: Mosquitoes cause nerve disorders
Not true. The maximum that threatens you is extreme irritation from the fact that the insect does not let you fall asleep. A special hatred for mosquitoes comes in the full moon, when their activity grows by 500%. Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely exterminate mosquitoes: they serve as food for birds and rodents, pollinate plants and enrich the soil. But some managed to get rid of annoying insects. For example, in Singapore they are not at all - and there even fined those who leave water in the saucers under the flowers, because it attracts mosquitoes.
Fact No. 6: Mosquitoes like blondes
Not really true. Female mosquitoes for the continuation of the genus need isoleucine. This amino acid is more often found in the blood of young women, pregnant women or athletes. The ideal target for a mosquito: a girl with the blood of the first group. Only one drop is sufficient for a mosquito to give life to hundreds of individuals. Only females drink human blood. Males eat nectar, because their jaws are not adapted for bites. In total, there are more than 3000 species of mosquitoes in the world, and they live everywhere except Antarctica.
Fact No. 7: Mosquitoes are afraid of tomato seedlings
More likely no than yes. The smell of tomato sprigs they really do not like, but you can avoid bites only if you sleep in a garden with young tomatoes. Smoke, contrary to popular belief, mosquitoes do not scare, neither cigarette nor fire. To help get rid of bothersome insects, burning in aromatic oils of eucalyptus, orange, cedar, chamomile, anise, mint or geranium. For protection from insects, you can apply vanilla oil to the skin. Its delicate aroma of mosquitoes for some reason very much is not pleasant, but for people it is quite pleasant - unlike a smell of the majority of repellents.
Fact No. 8: Mosquitoes mutate
It's true. The city mosquito was isolated in a separate subspecies after the siege of Leningrad, where insects mutated due to specific survival conditions. Mosquitoes adapt very well to almost all conditions, and thanks to global ecological changes, they now multiply faster, are not afraid of cold and pesticides. In the world there are more and more new types of bloodsuckers. So, in 1998, several unique colonies were discovered in the London metro, and DNA differed depending on the branch of the subway where the mosquitoes lived.
Fact No. 9: Ultrasound protects mosquitoes
Absolute untruth. This myth is more than 40 years old. Although the high-frequency sound of 15 kilohertz does not affect mosquitoes at all - this has been proved by dozens of studies. But new means do not cease to invent. In 2010, American scientist Nathan Mirwold, head of the Intellectual Ventures Laboratory, presented the "Death Star" mosquito - an automatic cannon with a video camera that could destroy bloodsuckers with an infrared laser within a radius of 33 meters. However, to get rid of the night's squeak, you can choose a method and simpler: for example, turn on the table lamp so that mosquitoes flock to its light and let you sleep peacefully.
Fact No. 10: Mosquitoes can be deadly
It's true. Mosquitoes travel freely between the continents along tourist routes and trade routes, and along with them Zeka and chikungunya viruses, malaria and dengue fever travel. The threat concerns not only the inhabitants of Africa and Asia, as is commonly believed: according to the World Health Organization, only half of the world's population is at risk of contracting malaria. To draw attention to this problem, back in 2009, at the TED conference, Bill Gates released a mosquito in the hall with the words "Not only the poor should feel it," and now the development of an antimalarial vaccine is one of the main tasks of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Means of fighting malaria, as well as other viruses that carry mosquitoes, is dedicated to the Discovery Channel project "Mosquitoes."
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