Mosquitoes I have met and fed.
It was in PEI that I first noticed that there was a mosquito that acted somewhat differently from those I had met in
southern Ontario.
My friend had a home on the coast of the island, near to Souris. The back yard dropped off into the ocean; a shear drop
of maybe 30 feet. The wind blew constantly across the expanse of water between the mainland and the island. The mosquitoes
in his yard were a real menace: fortunately, they never flew more than a few inches out of the grass. Ferociously attacking
my ankles, seemed to be their main purpose in life. If I had worn my cowboy boots I would have been spared the assault of
these formidable little creatures.
During my sailing adventure in Georgian Bay this year, I developed a nodding and swatting acquaintance with several very
differently-appearing, and differently-acting, members of this large family. We became blood-relatives, so-to-speak. My
blood, regrettably.
There were tiny ones up on the north shore of Georgian Bay. They would hide in the cabin of the boat and only attack when
the lights went out. It took a long time, and a lot of swatting of my own face, before I heard the last
nnnnnnnnnneeeeeeeeeeeeeee and I could sleep.
Nearer to Manitoulin Island they were bigger. They would also gain access to the boat cabin and show aggression the moment
a person entered. These were the genus-kamikaze, I believe.
Before starting this article I trotted off to the library to see what was available on the subject. To my dismay, I found
a 275 page book. It is called Mosquitoes and it was really fascinating. The pages on reproduction were all dog-eared
by a previously, easily excited, reader.
Here are a few facts:
There are 2500 or so varieties of this insect, divided into 33 genera. A mere sixty varieties reside in Canada.
The name mosquito comes from the Spanish, meaning little fly. They were originally called gnats in Jolly Olde England.
It is a marvelous flyer. It can hover like a helicopter, pivot, fly backwards. It can go from zero to seven kilometers
per hour in still air.
Some chose their prey by elevation. Some will bite only the head area of a creature; some bite only the leg area (as I
noted in PEI); some choose to fly to the top of the forest canopy just to bite the monkeys that dwell there.
Some eat only in the ½ hour or so before dusk; some eat at night and some only in the morning or afternoon; some bite in
the dark and others in bright sunlight. Canadian varieties seem to have an extended feeding schedule: like
all-of-the-above-eh.
The little scoundrel has an unusual feeding feature. It draws up nectar with its straw-like proboscis. It pumps this into
storage pouches somewhat reminiscent of spare gas tanks; the sugar-liquid is transferred to the stomach later, as needed.
The female is the one that does the biting. Survival of the species is the reason for this Dracula-like habit. Most
varieties can only produce eggs after obtaining a blood-meal from some poor warm, or cold, blooded creature. Depending on
the species, it may be a bird, a frog, a caterpillar, a moose, or you personally.
The insect apparently serves a purpose in the world of plant pollination. It has been known that they pollinated the
Arctic orchid for the past fifty years, but little other research has followed.
The mosquito has a very fine stylus. This tool actually consists of two hypodermic like tubes. One tube sucks up the
blood, while the other injects the saliva into the area to keep the blood flowing. The 'bite' or swelled itchy area is
caused by the injection of this saliva into the blood donation area.
For all of you young inventors out there, here is an idea for you. Male mosquitoes are attracted to some frequencies of
electrical equipment. In one case, equipment had to be modified to prevent the eager males from clogging it up. This is also
true for earwigs that will jam solenoids of air-conditioners. The buzz is so close to the mating sound of the opposite sex
that they will walk right in, sit right down, and get squashed.
Another clue for a potential mosquito trap comes from the author of Mosquitoes. He would put out a pan of warm
water while researching mosquitoes in Africa. This heat source would keep some of the mosquitoes occupied while he shaved
and washed up.
Have a nice day.
|
