Skeeter Facts

Sun., June 13, 1999

From Staff

“The Mosquito Book,” by Scott Anderson and Tony Dierckins (Adventure Publications, 800-678-7006, $6.95) has a collection of facts about the lowly skeeter, including:

Dragonflies and damselflies, are voracious consumers of mosquito larvae and adults.

While bats eat lots of insects, mosquitoes make up just a fraction of their diet. A recent study showed that mosquitoes made up only 0.7 percent of the stomach content in bats.

People react differently to mosquito bites depending on their skin sensitivity and their predispositions to allergic reactions. Numerous bites can produces a degree of immunity. Some researchers have been bitten so many times they no longer react to mosquito saliva.

During an experiment in Canada when hordes of mosquitoes darkened the sky, researchers who allowed themselves to be exposed to mosquitoes were bitten about 9,000 times in one minute. At that rate, adult human victims would lose half of their blood in about two hours - enough to kill them.

Mosquitoes live about two weeks in the summer, but some may live to be as old as one month. (Mosquito eggs can lie dormant for up to seven years. waiting for ideal hatching conditions)

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