Mosquitoes spread a plethora of viral-related diseases like dengue, malaria, zika, chikungunya and kill millions of people around the globe each year.
Despite rising awareness and other safety measures across the world, their numbers have not reached a low level.
Due to this, several researchers are using their skills across the globe to bring something that can control these mosquitoes.
A team of Australian researchers grabbed some success when they successfully made the green mosquito, a smart attempt to curb mosquitoes naturally.
What Is a Green Mosquito?
A life-shortening bacteria molecule was added to the mosquitoes which carry the disease, and this hybrid was named the green mosquito.
This will make the infection time short, and this ensures the life of contagion is cut short and does not reach their progeny.
A glimpse at the green mosquito and dengue:
A staggering fact about disease-spreading mosquitoes is that dengue fever alone affects over 50 to 100 million people pan the globe!
And severe cases of dengue (pronounced as dain-g-ueee) alone kill over 20K people annually with startling symptoms like hemorrhages.
- Many biological, physical, and chemical control plans are there to curb the mosquito population, but to no avail, we have controlled it much.
- However, the green mosquito by O’Neill’s group has gained praise from experts of dengue.
- Cases are on the rise in those places where they were inhospitable a while back due to climate shifts.
- The idea came when he noticed that Wolbachia restricts the life of many fruit flies, where it acts as a common bacterial parasite to them.
- So, they reciprocated the same idea for dengue and can kill the virus itself before reaching any maturity.
PS – Again, the same technique was used some years indirectly back as well, but it backstabbed in practicality.
Some popular mosquito control methods:
We often crash into mosquitoes who ruin our patio party or pool relaxation time and cause a nuisance.
What we hate most about them is the fact that they can also cause some of the deadliest diseases like Malaria and chikungunya.
- Awareness is the key as you must look for places around your house where you see them most of the time.
- The larval stage of a mosquito is aquatic so, start by eliminating such aquatic nesting grounds for them.
- Clean your home for any debris as the clayey soil can store some moisture which can be a potential breeding site.
- Clean your gutters periodically and watch for lower spots where they will not take much time to breed.
- You can also scan your yards for any possible things that can hold water, like pots, toys, and check for drainage also.
PS – Some pest companies provide eco-friendly pest management, which can be a great step, so call them out like GREENPESTs.
Some other questions,
Related Questions and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Q1.) Which is one of the most colorful mosquitoes around us?
Answer: Toxorhynchites rutilus must be the clear winner for this.
The elephant mosquito has one of the most colorful appearances in its structure as its body has mixtures of shiny dark-blue scales with a few of silvery-whitish as well.
They also have a purplish and greenish tinge on their thorax and abdomen region.
Q2.) What is a clean way of getting rid of mosquitoes?
Answer: There are some easy ways to do this.
- Make sure the area is clean without any debris.
- Don’t let any of your areas with water, so drain them.
- Clean sewage at regular intervals for drainage.
- Poor drainage can be a worrying cause, so see to it.
Q3.) What are non-biting midges?
Answer: They are members of the family Chironomidae and non-biting flies. On the contrary, their size is about ½ inches in length and greenish to brownish tint.
Neither they bite, nor they take blood so, they are non-transmitting vectors.
Q4.) What can be the implications if an individual gets bitten by the Aedes mosquito?
Answer: Viremia!
The circle approx. Four days after an infected mosquito bite you and one can develop viremia conditions, which means virus particles in your bloodstream.
These can last up to five to twelve days.
Q5.) What are some top diseases we can contract from mosquitoes?
Answer:
- Malaria.
- Chikungunya.
- Dengue Fever.
- Zika viral fever.
- Elephantiasis.
- Japanese E.
Q6.) How does green mosquito work?
Answer: Over a decade back, some researchers from Australia added a life-shortening bacteria via molecular genetics into Aedes type mosquito.
This can serve as a clever way to control mosquitoes.
Q7.) What smells can deter the mosquitoes quickly?
Answer: Citronella, Lemongrass, peppermint, clove, lavender, and Rosemary.
Take their oil and diffuse in your home for good smell and mosquito deterrence.
Q8.) Are midges available in your house?
Answer: They are quite omnipresent, and they just don’t come without reason.
These reasons are moisture or vegetables left for decomposition or to fermented products.
Q9.) Is there any difference between midges and mayflies?
Answer: Almost same!
Just a small difference can be that mayflies are a bit larger in their appearance and have a properly visible tail.
They can cause some nuisance for sure, but otherwise are quite harmless because they help in thriving the marine ecology.
Q10.) Is there any difference between Aedes and mosquitoes in general?
Answer: Aedes mosquitoes are comparatively smaller and have darkish tinges with a few white markings and bands on their legs.
When it comes to differentiating between the dengue and general mosquito bite, observe the area around the bite.
It will be dark red/ or redder and way itchier than any normal mosquito bite.
Q11.) Why do the mosquitoes transmit their saliva when biting?
Answer: This is done deliberately by a female mosquito because her saliva contains certain enzymes that help her proboscis to enter the skin and penetrate deeply.
They are mostly injected into the capillary, and this helps her to pierce the skin properly.
Q12.) Is there any interesting story behind mosquitoes producing a buzzing sound into people’s ears?
Answer: Yes, there is an interesting West African tale that once iguana and mosquito were talking together.
Mosquito said something stupid, so the iguana blocked her ears with a stick, and all animals became furious at them.
So, they buzz in human ears to ask whether animals are still offended by them?
PS – Fun aside, the buzzing is just a side effect of their fast wing’s movement.
Q13.) Are there any bugs that can cause death?
Answer: Yes.
We call them KISSING BUGS, and they bite on the lips of humans while sleeping and inject a deadly parasite in this process.
Do not kiss them ever!
Q14.) Which mosquito spreads dangerous Malaria?
Answer: Female Anopheles mosquito and only Anopheles mosquito transmit these viruses.
Also, the mosquito must be having malarial particles from a previously infected individual.
Q15.) What are some of the live mosquitoes we should keep our difference from?
Answer: Mosquito species of Aedes, Culex, and Anopheles are generally the most dangerous.
For instance, Aedes spread Zika, dengue, YF, LF alone.
Anopheles spreads malaria pan earth except for Antarctica.
Q16.) Does every single Aedes spread dengue?
Answer: No!
It should be a female, and she must have bitten an infected individual in the past.
So, they can infect if they are infected themselves from the blood of already infected individuals like a vector.
Q17.) What is the life cycle of Aedes?
Answer: Four parts!
Egg, Larvae, Pupa, and Adult.
Adults can take almost seven days to 2 weeks + easily from the egg stage.
Q18.) Can we repel mosquitoes naturally with a Vicks Vapor rub?
Answer: Vicks has a natural repellant as cedar leaf oil, and the strong smell of Vicks is not new.
Since mosquitoes, in general, are not fond of any strong smell, they will deter from such a smell.
Q19.) Can mosquitoes cut through clothing?
Answer: Surprisingly, yes!
A mosquito proboscis can easily go-through spandex and similar fibers.
Tighter clothing will allow them to bite easily. They have more than six needles in their main proboscis, so they have no issue here.
Q20.) Why do we scratch the bite, and it feels so good as well?
Answer: Histamine!
Our body releases histamine when something invades our body, a hypersensitive reaction.
Due to this, a nociceptor sends the message from the spine via the spinothalamic tract to the brain.
Fun fact – Itching is also contagious, just like yawning.
Final Verdict:
Dengue fever is a very serious issue that alone affects millions of people around the globe each year.
Due to climate shifts, we are now seeing mosquitoes in quite inhospitable places where you can’t expect their presence otherwise.
They spread diseases like Malaria, dengue, chikungunya, zika, and others that we have no answer to.
We have been employing various techniques for many years like physical control methods, chemicals and now going for biological methods as well.
A team of scientists from Australia got great success as they put their hands on the green mosquito.
They used a natural bacterial strain which is a parasite in insects long and cut their life short.
The researchers believe that they can put this strain on the disease-transmitting mosquito and cut short their life.
This can be a great way to biologically cut their life short, thereby eliminating the progeny from reaching their wards.
I hope this works this time.
Thanks For Reading!