What's Bad About Mosquitoes?
• They are the deadliest creature in existence — you might fear tigers, crocodiles and snakes, but mosquitoes are far deadlier. They are principally responsible for the spread of malaria, West Nile virus, dengue fever and yellow fever through human populations. Malaria alone takes more than one million lives each year.
• They’re not pet friendly, either — mosquitoes also spread diseases that are deadly to other species, including heartworms, which can be lethal to dogs.
• They will attack you relentlessly — these little vampires are out for blood, and will consume up to 3x their weight of it. That said, only females bite; males feed primarily on fruit and plant nectar.
• They’ll poison you — when biting, mosquitoes pump saliva into your skin that contains an allergen, which causes the bumpiness and itchiness characteristic of mosquito bites.
• And, of course, they’re just so annoying.
HOW TO AVOID MOSQUITOES:
For such a small organism, mosquitoes are equipped with a lot of complex systems to locate their next meal. To escape their detection:
• Don’t breathe: Receptors on their antennae can detect the carbon dioxide released when we exhale from up to 75 feet away.
• Don’t sweat: They discern the presence of octenol, a chemical released in human sweat.
• Stay cool: Heat sensors around the mosquito’s mouth can detect the warmth of your body – and help them locate the best capillaries for tapping
Since you can’t hold your breath forever, you should know that nature produces a number of natural, effective insect repellents. In fact, the repellent used in Thermacell products is a synthetic form of a chemical that occurs naturally in chrysanthemum flowers. It won’t harm humans or pets — and tests by universities and government agencies have shown Thermacell is highly effective in repelling mosquitoes.