From the beginning of July, mosquitoes attack with double force. Previously, they were not there at all. Why is this happening? Why are there so many mosquitoes in Poland?
As experts say, the plague of mosquitoes inJuly and Augustis nothing new. Summer is the time of the greatest breeding of these buzzing insects. There is a factor, however, that there may be a bit more mosquitoes this yearmore than usual .
Why are there more mosquitoes?
It's all aboutweather . As we remember, this year winter was exceptionallymild , practically free of snowfall, in April and partly in May in our country there wasdrought , while June was veryrainy .
To explain how this affects the mosquito population, look at thelife cycleof these insects.
The female mosquito drinks human blood because of theproteinin it, thanks to which she can lay eggs. He usually lays them on the surface of standing water (in lakes, puddles, old tires, water barrels), then after2-3 daysthey hatchlarvae. A new generation of mosquitoes is ready to attack aroundmonthafter laying eggs (the warmer it is, the shorter the time is) - this would explain why the mass hatching of these insects took place with a month delay, which is just in July.
In turn, when it comes to winter, mosquitoes can survive it inhibernation(so-calleddiapause ). Onlyfully fed, fertilized femaleswinter in Poland, and in this state they can survive for over6 months , waiting for the right conditions to lay eggs.
Therefore, if there was a drought in our country in the spring, it is highly probable that we are now also witnessing the brooding of a new generation of mosquitoes from wintering females.
If we addstatistics- depending on environmental conditions (air humidity and temperature, access to food) female mosquitoes live from1 to 8 weeks , during which they layseveral or several hundred eggsseveral times - this will give us the answer why the mosquito population seems so large. According to parasitologists, only such a reproductive model can ensuresurvivalfor these buzzing insects.
Whymosquitoes are so aggressive?
As it turns out,aggressivenesswith which female mosquitoes look for a host can be explained scientifically. In the course of evolution, these insects developed mechanisms that make the females extremely aggressive immediately after mating, until they are fully saturated with blood .
This aggression can only be stopped by two factors: the female intakeof the maximum amount of blood(approx.5 mg ), as a result of which her abdomen stretching, or developing in her bodyjaj . Importantly, the female, who has only drank a little human blood, is still eagerly looking for a host.
This explains why mosquitoes seem so bothersome.
How to fight mosquitoes?
Some cities are dealing with mosquito plagues with massivespraying . However, they only worktemporarily(until the first rainfall and only in the sprayed area) and aretoxicnot only for mosquitoes, but also for beneficial insects, such as bees and bumblebees, they can also harm children, pregnant women and allergy sufferers.
Therefore, it is much more effective to usebiological weaponsagainst mosquitoes, i.e. ensuring the presence ofnatural enemiesin the environment, which mainly include:
- swifts,
- swallows,
- frogs,
- dragonflies,
- bats,
- fish (to a lesser extent)
Professor Piotr Tryjanowski, a zoologist, explains that a single swift or bat can eat even tens of thousands of mosquitoes a day. These numbers are impressive.
Therefore, among others Warsaw authorities decided to set up hundreds of nesting boxes for Swifts in various parts of the city.
Read more:
- Natural remedies for mosquitoes
- Remedies for mosquito bites
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