10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Mosquitoes

They are the world’s deadliest animal, killing more than a million humans every year, more than all other creatures combined. Here are 10 bizarre facts about mosquitoes.

1. They’re deadlier than an alligator: Did you know that a tiny mosquito is a million times deadlier than an alligator? It’s true, just one person per year worldwide is killed by an alligator, while more than a million are killed by malaria, dengue fever, and the West Nile virus transmitted by mosquito bites. Mosquitoes also transmit various types of encephalitis and meningitis. In fact, of the top 20 creatures that cause human fatalities, the mosquito causes more human death every year than all the other killers combined, including other humans (half a million murders a year), snakes (50,000 human deaths), and dogs (25,000).
2. They’re massive binge drinkers: A mosquito will drink up to three times its body weight in blood with every bite. But don’t worry too much — it would take well over a million mosquito bites to drain all the blood from your body.
3. They like to stay close to home: The top speed of a mosquito is the equivalent of a slow walking pace (about 1.5 mph). Most species can’t fly very far (less than three miles), and most stay within a few hundred feet of where they hatched.
4. They suck, big time: Mosquitoes don’t bite, they suck. Female mosquitoes (and only the females because male mosquitoes live off plant nectar and don’t suck blood) stab two tubes into the skin; the first injects an enzyme that prevents clotting, the second tube sucks the blood, which the female uses to help develop her eggs.
5. They like hot, smelly people: To find a victim, the female mosquito tracks people by their exhaled carbon dioxide, body odor, temperature, and motion. Mosquitoes also show a preference for beer drinkers, according to researchers.
6. They’re not actually that into you: Given the choice, mosquitoes prefer to suck the blood of birds, cattle, and horses over humans. Some species never bite humans and specialize in other animals, including reptiles and amphibians.
7. The males are the weaker sex: Female mosquitoes live six times longer than males, about two months instead of 10 days.
8. They’re color prejudiced: Dark-colored clothing absorbs more heat, and because mosquitoes are drawn to radiated heat, people wearing darker colors will get bitten more often.
9. Not many animals find them tasty: A few species of birds, bats, spiders, and carnivorous plants predate on mosquitoes. But the vast majority are consumed by fish and dragonflies.
10. They’re all around us: Of the estimated 3,500 species of mosquito, more than 30 are found in the Cayman Islands. Around 80% are the black saltwater species (Aedes Taeniorhynchus) that breeds in the black mangrove areas. Other species breed in freshwater cisterns and temporary pools of standing water around the home.

Mosquito treatment in Grand Cayman doesn’t eliminate the mosquito population. But can provide protection against those mosquitos that enter your property. To reduce numbers, make sure to clear your property of breeding sites — containers that can collect standing water, such as tires, pots, birdbaths, toys, and pet bowls.