5 Surprising Facts About Mosquitoes

Hey, who invited these pesky mosquitoes to the party? Turns out you did, through no fault of your own. You’re simply irresistible to the little villains. But what do you really know about these unwelcome intruders, other than that they can leave you with itchy, red welts?

1. Only female mosquitoes bite

There are about 3,500 species of the little vampires, and they can be found in virtually every part of the world. But not all mosquitoes look upon you as a delicious meal. While both male and female mosquitoes feed on nectar and plant sap as their nutrition source, only female mosquitoes need blood for egg production.

2. Mosquitoes prefer darker colors

Black might be slimming, but if you're trying to avoid mosquitoes, best to opt for lighter-colored clothing as they can be attracted to darker colors.

3. Mosquitoes do prefer to bite some people over others

If you keep getting bit while those around you don’t, it may be because the flying pests are attracted to the body chemistry of some people over others. Chemicals such as carbon dioxide, which is emitted when you breathe out, and lactic acid, an element found in sweat, attract mosquitoes.

4. A full moon makes mosquitoes more active

Werewolves, zombies, and mosquitoes? Yep, the full moon can be blamed for many strange occurrences both real and imagined. Scientists have never actually seen a real-life zombie, but they do know mosquitoes exist— and that a full moon can increase mosquito activity 500 percent!

5. Mosquitoes need only 14.5 milliliters of water to breed

Mosquitoes prefer to lay their eggs in still or stagnant water or wet earth, and they only require a small bit of water to do so. In fact, for development, the immature stages of some types of mosquitoes only need a tablespoon of water to breed, an amount that can easily collect in old tires, children's wading pools, holes in trees, bird baths, saucers underneath plants—even a bottle cap.