Those pesky mosquitoes!

There's pretty much nothing more annoying - they spoil a great evening, they're always around, and they won't go away no matter what you say about them. Turns out, they are a little like some girls we know (not me or anyone I know, of course!); they have specific requirements about what they want to eat, and their needs are never understood; however, they are like guys in that they make their choice visually and they love the smell of beer! Both males and females eat sugar for energy - they wait until evening to go on the prowl and can fly up to four hours continuously looking for food. Only the female bites (ouch!) - they need a blood meal to develop their eggs, and usually find you by the CO2 you exhale (they can smell you from 40 miles away!). There is no real explanation that we know of as to why some people get bitten and others don't - certainly perfumes, hair sprays and deodorants, etc. are culprits - but mostly, only the mosquito knows...the good news is that up here in the hot weather they only live about two weeks; the bad news is that the females lay up to 350 eggs every time they suck blood - which can be daily. The swelling you get is an allergic reaction to her saliva - the swat she gets is about the most satisfaction you're going to get - that is, from a mosquito! M.