Blood Donation Camp .. of a different kind!

All of us, at least most of us have had this opportunity to *donate* blood this way. It does not save a life, but sustains one! One of this blooming mosquito. All of us gardeners have done this, haven't we? These suckers don't give a clue when it lands on the skin amongst hair. They know how to land! Look here, I'm actually doing a service to Nature! LOL. I was out there shooting flowers when I noticed this on my free hand. I shot this one alright, but could not shoot it down! Ah, this horrible pest! The next few minutes I was busy.... scratching the area.

I feed these creatures too. Apparently, I give off a scent or pheromone that attracts them, so if there is only one mosquito in an area, it finds me! Then the itch lasts for days... I am searching for an effective mosquito repellant spray or lotion. I have become allergic to the brands containing Deet, and so now I am looking for effective herbal insect repellants. Do you have any suggestions?

It's me again. I had to rush off to an appointment before I could finish my last post. Dinu, it was extremely clever of you to take that photograph one-handed and perfectly focussed. Are mosquitoes common in your area? Are there mosquito-borne diseases, such as West Nile and Malaria, for you to worry about?

Great picture Dinu. Those "skeeters" are certainly irritating insects. The female Anopheles carries the Malaria disease, and June is right, they home in on scents. They carry several other diseases too, but it seems malaria is the most frequent killer. Thanks Dinu. Your pictures are very enjoyable.

I have noticed that if they are left alone for sometime, they don't seem to attack later. If you swat one, then the pheromone in it attracts more. It appears that the CO2 we emit also attracts them. Methinks I read this in some article. These skeeters can detect its source of food - they look for the protein in the blood - from as far as 20 feet.

Malaria is a problem but it does not affect everywhere as Anopheles is not found everywhere. Chikungunya is causing problems lately.

Repellants are available, but I use them only when after the rains they are more abundant. Other times, it is manageable. Stagnant water is what breeds the mosquitoes and the health dept. always advises to avoid those, whatever, old tires, basins, tanks, anythings that holds rainwater and left for days... they are the source. Indoors, mosquito net is the best option. Repellants are often loaded with chemicals which can lead to allergic problems. The skeeters get adjusted to the chemicals rather than humans!

I swatted this one.



June,
I'm also a great 'attractor' of these blooming skeeters. If there is one, they just find me even if there are many people around. During times of profusion, I use socks while my legs go under the darkness of the computer table! They prefer dark areas.

Dinu, chikungunya virus has not yet reached this part of the world. I think it is similar to West Nile virus, which unfortunately has appeared in Canada. Due to the large number of lakes and swampy areas in Canada, we have an enormous mosquito, blackfly, and deerfly population which in turn feeds a large number of birds, frogs, dragonflies, etc. I try to ignore the biters and enjoy seeing all the other wildlife.

We don't use mosquito nets for sleeping, but all our windows and outer doors have insect screens so the mozzies rarely get into the house. If there is one inside, as soon as I hear that high-pitched whine in my ear I spring into action: I leap up, switch on all the lights, and prowl the room with my slipper in my hand until the little vampire sits down somewhere I can give it a good swat.

June,
Thanks for the info on other varieties. I too have those nets to windows, but since our doors are open, the breeze moves the curtain and if there are some, they enter. There are a couple of windows that does not have the net/mesh. Have to think of coverling 2+2 four small windows.

Chikungunya is a painful affection. They cannot move the body. It pains. It takes as long as a month to get over the afflliction.

Here is the small rash this variety gives on our skin. Less than the size of a dime.

Am I correct in thinking that only the female mosquito bites, and she only needs to feed once in her life, so after she has bitten you and gone away, she will not come back? This would explain why they leave you alone after a while!

Then when a mosquito gets trapped in our sleeping net *bites* [they don't have teeth to bite, but actually they prick!] night after night, what does it mean? It has happened. How many days does it live and how long does one dose of blood last?

I have found out that:
1. Only the female mosquito bites, and she needs a blood meal to obtain protein before she can develop her eggs.
2. The female mosquito lives between 3 to 100 days, depending on species, and can lay eggs 3 or more times.
3. Male mosquitos, and also the female when she is not in egg-laying mode, feed on nectar.

I feel as if I am back in school, doing my biology homework. I always liked biology, fortunately.

Did this thread refurbish some good things, June? Thanks for making me learn a couple of new things.

My brain is lazy. I always need someone to pose a question or make a statement to start my mind working. Thank you, Dinu, for starting interesting topics that encourage the learning process.

This may be what is called "scientific temper". Children must be encouraged to develop this temper.

I was not at all scientific as a child, but I did have a temper! (Just kidding) The "science" taught at my school in England was divided into three subjects: physics, chemistry, and biology. I found physics and chemistry so boring that I paid no attention in class and failed my exams miserably. Biology, on the other hand, fascinated me. I also enjoyed taking walks in the countryside with my father and talking about the plants, birds, and animals we saw. In this way, I discovered my love for the natural world.

I had both tempers - not kidding! The unwanted one has mellowed greatly over the years. I too had taken PCMB. Like you, I never liked the first 3. But seemed to fare better in B. I too failed like you! Later passed by just crossing the mininum line in the other 3! Believe me! I had a good collection of plant specimens which my classmates used to borrow. Someone took it and never returned to me. Zoology - I hated dissection. I tried to absent myself. Roach and earthworm... I escaped. I had to do the toad. I did it successfully, by using only the tweezers. I just cannot stand the touch with the hand!! When it was over, it was a great relief!

My curiosity overcame my squeamishness when it came to dissection. I vividly remember chasing an eyeball around, as it rolled away every time I tried to cut into it! Many of my classmates were turning pale and leaving the room, but I was fine. I'm sure I would have made a wonderful veterinary surgeon. The strange thing is: I cannot watch TV programs that show surgical operations on humans, and the thought of giving blood makes me feel queasy. Now we are back to the blood donation topic.

Quite a funny memory that. It sure would have made you smile again at the thought. When there are those skeeters aplenty and I get pricked, I'm fond of telling 'had been to donate blood...' We sometimes have no choice but to get pricked by those monsters. I have discovered a little instrument way back in the early 70s to kill mosquitoes. It's completely manual and there is a 100% chance of the insect getting squashed, provided, you have a good reflex and that the skeeter is not too quicker than your reflex! I'll post its pic in my series of my little inventions and discoveries. Will start sometime soon when the pix are taken.

I look forward to seeing pictures of your mosquito masher. I the meantime, here is a picture of the pond outside my house (actually taken from the far side of the pond, looking towards the house), so you can see why I have many mosquitoes in my garden.

Another variety of mosquito - it's a big one!

Are not fish there in that pond? But for the skeeters' problem, nice view anyway and a lovely bridge - to cross over a soft area perhaps?!

Good grief, Dinu, that mosquito is a monster!

The bridge crosses a channel between the large, open pond and a smaller pond that is choked with reeds. Both ponds were dug about 60 years ago, filled by damming a small stream, and stocked with trout for fishing. At that time, the property was owned by a rich lawyer who lived in the city of Toronto and who would bring his friends and political croneys to the countryside for a weekend of camping and fishing. According to a local legend, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, one of Canada's past Prime Ministers, has fished in our pond. The legend does not say what he thought of the mosquitos, which I am sure tasted him.

There are still a great many fish in the pond, but we do not eat them. We leave them for the many fish-eating birds - such as heron, osprey, kingfisher, tern, gull, merganser - that we can watch from our livingroom window.

Unique history fo the pond June. All the sight and variety of visitors to the pond is worth even getting pricked by those monsters. Yours is definitely in a nice location.

This big fellow sat right on my right little finger. I had to pick up the hanging-from-the-neck camera with my left hand for an akward left handed grip and I had to search the shutter button while staying still with my right fingers else that would fly off. I managed it - look how big this fellow is.