Getting bitten two or three times within 5 minutes is a tolerable limit in Minnesota, suggests an official of the Metropolian Mosquito Control District.
400,000 mosquitoes in a pound (give or take)
2,700 species worldwide
50 species in Minnesota
15 species considered "troublesome" to Minnesotans
1,000 trillion mosquitoes on the planet (give or take)
0 U.S. fatalities from West Nile Virus so far this year
1 to 1.5 miles per hour, speed at which mosquitoes fly
1.5 million human deaths worldwide each year from mosquito bites
1.2 million mosquito bites needed to drain an average person of blood
• Mosquito repellents don't actually repel; instead they block a bug's sensory receptors -- the closest we'll ever come to wearing a cloak of invisibility.
• Minnesota's Metropolitan Mosquito Control District is bigger than Delaware.
• Mosquitoes have been found on mountains up to 13,000 feet and in mine shafts 3,000 feet below the surface.
• Black is the most attractive color to mosquitoes, followed closely by red. White is your best choice, but watch the barbecue sauce.
• One reason we're seeing a greater variety of mosquitoes is that some Asian countries ship us their used tires, a common breeding ground for larvae.
• You probably know just enough Latin to guess that the species christened aedes vexans and coquillettidia perturbans incite just the sort of emotions you suspect.
• D.H. Lawrence once wrote a poem called "Mosquito," noting "your small, high, hateful bugle in my ear" -- a reality you never consider while reading certain scenes from his "Lady Chatterly's Lover."
• A mosquito's whine is said to be between the musical pitches of D and F.
• Getting bitten two or three times within 5 minutes is a tolerable limit in Minnesota, suggests Mike McLean of the Metropolian Mosquito Control District. Buck up, kiddos.
• To see if breeding areas in your neighborhood have been treated, check the interactive map at www.mmcd.org.
• Because of different body chemistries, some people really are mosquito magnets. Those likeliest to be bitten are overweight males with type O blood.
• People drinking beer have been shown to be more attractive to mosquitoes. Limburger cheese has also been found to be attractive, which might explain mosquitoes' foot fetish.
• Mosquitoes don't actually drink our blood. They feed on sweet nectar and juices from plants, but females need blood protein to nourish their eggs.
• Here's a trick: If a mosquito lands on your biceps, tense your skin to trap its proboscis, then flex your muscle. This supposedly causes the mosquito to burst from the pressure in your blood vessel.
• The World Mosquito Killing Championship is held every year in Pelkosenniemi, Finland. Entrants must kill as many mosquitoes as possible by hand in 5 minutes. The record is 21.
• Among the all-time great Super Bowl commercials was a 1998 spot for Tabasco sauce. A man is eating pizza on his front porch, splashing on the hot sauce before each bite. A mosquito bites him and flies off, only to explode in an epic fireball. The guy returns to his pizza, smiling. (See it at www.tabasco.com by clicking on "Arts Pavilion" and then "TV Ads.")
Here's where we learned all this cool stuff: Mike McLean at the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District in St. Paul; Discover magazine; websites of various mosquito control districts nationwide; www.skeeterbite.info; Centers for Disease Control; the American Mosquito Control Association, and our own unquenchable pursuit of mosquito small talk.
Kim Ode • 612-673-7185
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