I sometime wonder what role the mosquitoes have in the world. They seem
to be more of a problem than useful. In fact I can’t think of any meaningful
role they play except perhaps may be being food for some other insects. On the other hand the havoc they create is huge compared to their tiny size. It was for this
the theme for 2014 World Health Day was “Small
bite, big threat,” highlighting the importance of vector-borne diseases of
which mosquito is the most important one. The mosquitoes are one of the deadliest animals in the world. They kill
millions of people every year. In 2015 malaria alone caused 438000 deaths in
the world. Some of the popular and notorious mosquitoes that cause diseases and
death in man are: Anopheles (causes Malaria), Culex (causes Japanese
Encephalitis, Filariasis), Aedes (causes Dengue, Chikungunya, Yellow fever,
Filariasis, Zika) and Mansonia (causes Filariasis).
Now, let us not jump to
conclusion and blame the whole population of mosquitoes. Only female species
are the ones responsible for transmission of diseases!! It is so because only
female species bites human beings
for drawing blood. A meal of blood is required by the female species for the
developmental process of the eggs. The male species survives on nectars and
fruits and they won’t bother us. Mosquitoes actually don’t bite with teeth like
other animals or humans do, but with a special structure called as proboscis. They
have four cutting edges with which they pierce the tough skin like an injecting
needle. In the process of biting their saliva serves as the chemical that prevents
the blood from clotting. It is their saliva that produces so much
itching/swelling when they bite. This is how they also transmit deadly
organisms like parasites, viruses in the blood stream of humans.
You
might also have observed that in the evening time a whole lot of mosquitoes
hover over your head or over some animals like cow/buffalo. This is what is
called as swarming. This swarming is basically for mating purpose. This swarm is produced by the male
species where female species enters for mating.
Who
says the sound that the mosquitoes
produce is music? To me it is more of an annoying sound that produces immediate
hand movement reflex for whatever known purposes. Have you ever wondered how
the mosquitoes are able to produce that high pitch sound? Researches have
concluded that mosquitoes can flap their wings 200-1000 times per second. It is
predominantly the Culex mosquitoes that can flap their wings on an average of 600 times per second which produces
that peculiar humming sound when it passes near your ear and get your
immediate reaction. It is also said that the sound is so important for the
mosquitoes to identify the other partner. The pitch is so unique and specific
that if they miss that pitch they will not get their partner. So, sounding correct
is important for them.
Mosquitoes
can easily find you out even if you are hiding. This is because they have a strong attraction for the odour of carbon
dioxide that is released when we breathe out. Perhaps they also have a visual and thermal sense to detect you
wherever you are. Mosquitoes are also more attracted towards the people with
blood group type O. The principle
behind using the mosquito repellents containing ‘DEET’ is to dull the senses of the mosquito so that they don’t
smell you and find you.
Oh
mosquito so tiny creatures and yet so powerful. The fight against them is so
challenging. The best way to protect ourselves from their deadly bite is by preventing them from biting us.
