Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes can turn any outdoor activity into a nightmare, making it difficult to enjoy even the smallest activities. Mosquitoes can also spread numerous concerning diseases. Luckily, as residents of Kentucky we usually don’t have to worry about disease carrying mosquitoes. However mosquitoes are still quite the pest. We are here to help you take control of your outdoors!
Here’s what you need to know about mosquitos…
Did you know?
…Only female mosquitoes bite! They need the nutrients in blood to create eggs.
About the bite...
Mosquitoes are tiny, dark brown insects that use the blood of humans and other animals to reproduce. Often in the evening or at night, mosquitoes leave their resting spots and begin looking for a host. They find their target through special sensory organs that detect heat and carbon dioxide. They then land on their target and begin feeding. We often don't feel the mosquito bite because of their light weight and special chemicals they inject while feeding. Before they ingest the blood, they inject anticoagulant and numbing chemicals into our skin, causing the blood to flow freely without notice.
How we control mosquitoes...
Mosquitoes can be controlled through two main methods. The most effective is through eliminating breeding sites. Mosquitoes breed in small stagnant pools of water. In an area of the country such as Bowling Green KY, this may be easier said than done. The other is to eliminate the adult mosquitoes. This is done by applying chemicals on the foliage that mosquitoes rest on. A backpack fogger, as seen above, is the best application method for mosquito treatments. Unfortunately, these chemical applications only remain viable for about a month. Therefore we recommend a monthly service for mosquitoes.
An interesting article posted by NBC News highlights some of the science behind mosquitoes.
Stating, “To understand how they spread disease, scientists have studied just how the mosquito bites. And you have to give the buggers their due: They are fabulously sophisticated at getting to our blood.
Ecologists may argue, but most of us firmly believe there is no such thing as a good mosquito. That being said, the complexity of their mechanical and chemical systems for finding us, finding a nice juicy spot once they land, and then manipulating our body chemistry while they draw their nourishment, deserves respect as a remarkable example of evolution.
Meanwhile, the other parts begin an intricate pattern of coordinated movements that let them hack into your flesh. The mandibles, on the edges, are serrated on the tip, like tiny steak knives, to carve their way in. Just below the surface, the whole package of nasty pointy parts bends and takes a 90-degree turn. Then the attack really begins.
That set of needlelike parts begins to randomly poke away, anywhere between 12 and 18 times in just several seconds. It’s not actually looking for a venule or arteriole just yet. It’s indiscriminately poking around to try and poke into anything in the area that may bleed. (Which is actually rare in the top layers of skin, where there are few blood vessels.)”
Article by David Ropeik. click below for full article…