• Mosquito is Spanish for “little fly.”

• Mosquitoes are known from as far back as the Triassic Period – 400 million years ago. They are known from North America from the Cretaceous – 100 million years ago.

• There are about 2,700 species of mosquito. There are 176 species in the United States.

• An adult mosquito can live as long as 5 months. It may take several months for a larva to develop to the adult stage in cold water. Eggs of floodwater mosquitoes may remain dormant for several years, and hatch when they are covered with water.

• Male mosquitoes find female mosquitoes by listening to the sound of their wings beating. The males can actually identify the correct species by the pitch of the female’s wings.

• Most mosquitoes do not fly very far from their larval habitat, but the salt marsh mosquito migrates 75 to 100 miles over the course of its life.

• A mosquito can smell the carbon dioxide you exhale from about 60 to 75 feet away.

• Only female mosquitoes bite humans and animals; males feed on flower nectar.

• All mosquitoes require water to breed. Some species can breed in puddles left after a rainstorm.

• Mosquitoes don’t have teeth.

• Female mosquitoes can lay up to 300 eggs at a time.

• The average mosquito weighs about 2.5 milligrams.

• The average mosquito takes in about 5-millionths of a liter of blood during feeding.

• Mosquitoes find hosts by sight (they observe movement); by detecting infra-red radiation emitted by warm bodies; and by chemical signals (mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide and lactic acid, among other chemicals) at distances of 25 to 35 meters.

• Mosquitoes fly an estimated 1 to 1.5 miles per hour.

• Mosquitoes hibernate.

• A mosquito wing beats from 300 to 600 times per second.

• Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals on Earth.

• Bigger people are often more attractive to mosquitoes because they are larger targets and they produce more mosquito attractants, namely CO2 and lactic acid.

• Active or fidgety people also produce more CO2 and lactic acid.

• Smelly feet are attractive to certain species of mosquitoes – as is Limburger Cheese.

• Dark clothing has been shown to attract some species of mosquitoes more than lighter colored clothing.

• Bacteria can be used to kill mosquito larvae. Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) is a commercially-produced bacteria, sold in pellet and powder form, that can be laced into water where larvae live. It produces proteins that turn into toxins after the larvae eat it.

• Movement increased mosquito biting up to 50% in some research tests.

• The bumps from mosquito bites are caused by saliva.

• Mosquitoes feed day and night.

• Body heat marks the target.

• Insecticides work, but only in the short term.

• Bug zappers are useless against mosquitoes.

• Sweat helps mosquitoes choose their victims.

• The two main mosquito predators are fish and dragonflies.

• Mosquito traps can kill thousands of mosquitoes in a single night. One study conducted by public health researchers in Australia found that a Mega Catch trap caught and killed more than 44,000 female mosquitoes from 17 species in less than two weeks.

• Bats do not eat much mosquitoes.

• A full moon increased mosquito activity 500% in one study

• Some people are more attractive to mosquitoes than others. It is not clear why, but probably has something to do with the 300 odd chemicals produced by the skin.

• In the interest of science, Arctic researchers uncovered their chests, arms, and legs and reported as many as 9000 mosquito bites per person, per minute. At this rate, and unprotected human would lose one half of his blood supply in approximately 2 hours.