Did you know that August 20 is World Mosquito Day?
No we are not celebrating this day! World Mosquito Day is more about 
public awareness and information.
The following information is provided by the AMCA website:
MOSQUITO INFORMATION
Introduction
Mosquitoes are insects belonging to the order Diptera, the True Flies. Like all True Flies, they have two wings, but unlike other flies, mosquito wings have scales. Female mosquitoes’ mouthparts form a long piercing-sucking proboscis. Males differ from females by having feathery antennae and mouthparts not suitable for piercing skin. A mosquito’s principal food is nectar or similar sugar source.
Mosquitoes can be an annoying, serious problem in man’s domain. They interfere with work and spoil hours of leisure time. Their attacks on farm animals can cause loss of weight and decreased milk production. Some mosquitoes are capable of transmitting diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue, filariasis and encephalitis [St. Louis encephalitis (SLE), Western Equine encephalitis (WEE), LaCrosse encephalitis (LAC), Japanese encephalitis (JE), Eastern Equine encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile virus (WNV)] to humans and animals.
I would like to talk a little about West Nile Virus.
According to the National Biological Information Infrastructure the West Nile virus (WNV) was first detected in the Western Hemisphere in 1999 and has since rapidly spread across the North Americcan continent into all 48 continental states, seven Canadian provinces, and throughout Mexico. In addition, WNV activity has been detected in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Guadeloupe and El Salvador.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 15,000 people in the U.S. have tested positive for WNV infection since 1999, including over 500 deaths. Many more people have likely been infected with WNV, but have experienced mild or no symptoms.
Statistically, a person’s risk of contracting West Nile is low, and less than 1% of those infected develop serious illness from the virus. Those at highest risk for serious illness are the elderly and those with lowered immune systems. However, people of all ages can develop serious illness, so it is important for everyone to protect themselves from mosquito bites to minimize the risk of infection.
Remember to use repellents whenever you are outside especially in the early evening and whenever you are in areas attractive to mosquito’s (like water areas).
Do you know of the Asian Tiger Mosquito? This is a species that I noticed recently and they are horrible! They are fast, bite during the day and their bite itches for days and days (my own observation and not scientific fact)! This invasive species of mosquito was accidentally imported from Japan in used truck tires and then spread across the country as the tires were transported from state to state.
The adult tiger mosquito is only about 1/8 inch long. It is black with white stripes on its legs and body. There is a single white stripe down the center of its head and back. These stripes give it the name “tiger” mosquito.
The Asian Tiger Mosquito carries West Nile Virus and fortunately I was recently sent a new lure from Mega-Catch which is designed and proven to increase capture rates of hard to catch species like the Asian Tiger mosquito.
You can read about this new Mega-Catch 3000 Combo Lure by clicking HERE and you can also read about my Alpha Trap that I recently reviewed by clicking HERE.
Stay tuned because Mega-Catch is going to be offering a really exciting contest to coincide with National Good Neighbor Day, which is coming up in just a few weeks!
Disclaimer: I was not paid in any form of cash for this posting. I did receive products/Services to keep for my testing purposes and I am an affiliate of Mega-Catch. The product itself did not persuade my personal beliefs or views. You can read more about Mommy PR’s Policy Disclosure here. See our Mission Statement for more on what we promise to uphold on every post.
[...] of at least 30 arboviruses including Malaria, Dengue fever, various strains of Encephalitis and West Nile virus, they’re no longer considered just a nuisance, but are regarded as a deadly threat. Just one [...]
The white stripe that distinguishes the Aedes albopictus mosquito from other species, notably the Aedes aegypti, runs along the middle of the head and the thorax, not the back. If you were to refer to any part of the mosquito as a ‘back’ it would have to be the abdomen, which is tucked under the wings of the mosquito.