Update on Mosquitoes

This is a prescription of remedies I proposed an old lady on the web, which she was probably looking for.

This discussion has even stimulated writers of the Scientific American, to write about mosquitoes.

I have subjected myself to extensive examination by all types of mosquitoes (they actually research on me and my behaviour rather than I do on them-I am the Guinea Pig) and I will roll out my own (not proven but very probable) theories too.

I hate cats and mosquitoes but unlike a cat I can kill mosquitoes.

Currently, I believe in control rather than killing of them.

The reason of that statement is that the larvae of mosquitoes have a biological role which we still do not understand yet.

I am going to write how to control them in detail in my blog asokaplus when I find time but for you I give some tips.

1. There are over 400 varieties (I am going by my memory and not by any search or research).

2. Only few of them carry diseases like Dengue and Malaria.

3. So I do not believe in WHO strategy of spraying and killing all the other insects too.

4. Do not believe WHO for a dime (most illiterate of doctors do research for WHO and most of them come from American Drug companies) but I believe in the clout dollar has on world economics including China.

5. Mosquitoes have remarkable property to adapt (probably the best genetic make up to resit and survive killer drugs within one year of its spray, much better than the fruit fly)

6. With global warming, they will migrate from tropic to temperate regions

7. They have elementary but properly developed sensors to find an unwilling prey and make a hot meal (37 C) at midnight when everybody is trying to drop to sleep.

Control

1. One must get the name/s of the mosquitoes in your neighbourhood.

2. Know their life cycle

3. If the life cycle include larvae in water, the control is easy.

4. Breed some fish in the water and the Guppy fish will do fine.
You must choose a type of fish which survives in winter. In the case of Guppy one can raise them indoors in winter and release them come summer to the pools. 

They are easy to breed and very hardy fish and also very colourful.

5. My recent finding vary with WHO. 

They breed in the cesspits and they love that feature. 

If one is a scatologist this is for you.

Larvae thrive on residue of human feacal matter, which is mainly  a cocktail of aerobic and anaerobic bacteriae.

It has some fine biological tuning here (not the adult mosquito and that is why I consider they have a biological role).

If we look at how much rich Americans eat a day, a cesspit won't last even a few days, if not for the ability of the mosquito larvae to get involved in bio-transformation and production of bio-gas, the pit will be full in no time.

I am a believer Americans can produce enough bio-gas from their faecal matter to supply even China (just for record they eat one pig in three years and one bull in 10 years -from 5 to 10 cows/bulls before they turn (50) fifty.

Things that one can do is to cover the commode when not in use. Mosquito laying eggs is prevented.

Look at where the cesspit is located and cover all the exit holes from where the adult mosquito escapes including the pipe that releases bio-gas (with a mosquito net and a rubber band). 

You must tell all your neighbours to do the same and I can assure you it will cut down the mosquito population to 85% of the population. 

With fish I have cut it down to 95% and the rest if they come to my bed room is of criminal intent and procedure.

No spraying for me, since they kill other insects except cockroaches.

If all this fails move to a higher ground with  cooler temperature where they do not breed. 

Over 5000 ft and what matters is not the height but the average temperature below 65 F.

• Activity
  When we are active, mosquitoes do not approach us.
  May be our movements hinder their ability to home in or focus on the target chemical.Our bodies produce chemicals which have diurnal variation (steroids) of waste metabolites. 
  
  
• Drinking beer:
  The reason isn't exactly clear, but mosquitoes are more likely to be attracted to you after you've had some alcohol or beer.  I have two chemicals, the ketone and urea in your breath.
  But most plausible is they get a little more kick out of a meal with pure alcohol.
  Alcohol is a social attractant even in the insect world.
  
  
• Dirty Feet:  
  Mosquitoes are attracted to our toe-jam (smelly feet) but not mine. 
  
  
• Body heat: 
  Mosquitoes have sophisticated heat sensors, that is why they target our ears first and then target our breath
  When we are down with fever mosquitoes make sure they are around to provide background music to entertain our recuperating souls.
  
  
• Moisture:  
  The moisture we exhale in breath and sweat in perspiration (urea and CO2) attract mosquitoes.
• Relative darkness:  
  Mosquitoes are attracted to relative darkness, evenings and early morning and they hate bright lights (may be dry heat switch off heat sensors) and within seconds of switching the lights they emerge from under the bed or from roof.
  
  
• Blood type:
  People with O and A type blood are more likely to attract mosquitoes and especially if they're young. This is a conjecture and I am blood group A and my son is AB and they do attract me more than my son. 
  
  American Scientist.
  They are discovering various sensors with micro-imaging and gene technology. 
  They try to transplant gene segments of mosquito to Fruit Fly at various stages of (larvae) development and study the effects and the details are too heavy for a blog site like this.