The mosquito is one of the oldest creatures living on Earth. It is believed that they lived in the Cretaceous period. These insects live on all continents except Antarctica. Currently, science knows more than 3,000 species of mosquitoes, which are divided into 38 genera. In Russia, there are about a hundred species.
The malarial mosquito (in Latin - Anopheles) on a global scale is represented in more than 400 species, 10 of which can be found in the European part of Russia and in Western Siberia. Many species of these diptera insects are spreading plasmodium - single-celled parasitic organisms that can cause malaria.
For some reason, it is believed that the malaria mosquito is large. In fact, it does not exceed 6-7 mm in length, and those whom people fear so much - karamors (mosquito-centipedes) - are completely harmless. Adult individuals of mosquito-centipedes feed on nectar and are completely harmless to humans. Thus, large mosquitoes (malaria) are nonsense. To distinguish it from the usual mosquito familiar to our view, it is necessary to know the main features of the behavior of these blood-sucking insects.
The malaria mosquito is a great specialist in the world of odors. He does not need light to find his victim - for this the mosquito has very sensitive sensors located on the antennae. They are sensitive not only to thermal radiation, but also to metabolic products (for example, carbon dioxide, lactic acid, uric acid). Mosquitoes smell sweat of lactic acid at a distance of up to three kilometers.
In addition, the malaria mosquito is a big foodie.
He prefers to drink human blood of the first and second groups. He also likes children's blood, and if you choose from men or women, he will prefer the blood of the fair sex.
By the way, only female mosquitoes drink blood . They need her in order to lay eggs. Just one drop of blood is the source of life for several hundred mosquito eggs.
A female mosquito searches for its prey after mating in order to drink blood. In the process of digestion, egg maturation occurs simultaneously. To lay eggs, the mosquito chooses a shallow puddle, a hole filled with water, an open barrel, a trough, etc. Usually it lays 120-150 eggs. The life cycle of a mosquito consists of four stages - from an egg to an adult (imago).
An egg develops from 40 hours to 8 days (depending on external conditions). The larvae hatching from an egg are 1-2 mm in size. They feed on microorganisms that live in water. In this state, the mosquito molts four times, and after the fourth molt, a pupa is obtained from the larva. The doll can move and swim. By the way, she swims even better than the larva. In two to four days, a mosquito ready for flight leaves the pupa. An adult lives from two weeks to two months.
The bite of an ordinary mosquito is, in principle, safe. Allergic reactions occur extremely rarely. As a rule, after a bite there are unpleasant sensations - itching, burning, swelling and redness appear at the site of the bite. Malaria mosquitoes are much more dangerous, because they are a carrier of malaria and a huge number of pathogens of many other infectious diseases.
Malaria is a very serious illness. Of course, it is most often found in the tropics, but can also be found in our climate. Usually, the disease is accompanied by fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, and many other symptoms. Frequent and fatal. Therefore, in the case of a bite by a malarial mosquito, the most correct thing is to immediately contact the infectious diseases hospital. Procrastination here is really like death.
Therefore, it is important to know what a malaria mosquito looks like. Malaria differs from ordinary mosquitoes in elongated legs and the presence of small spots on the wings. When landing on the victim’s body, unlike a regular mosquito sitting parallel to the surface, the malaria keeps the abdomen and legs up.
The most reliable means, of course, is prevention. Before you go on a long trip to tropical or subtropical countries, you should prepare in advance. After all, the risk of becoming a victim of such a dangerous bloodsucker, like a malaria mosquito, is great. It is necessary to contact infectious disease doctors in order to start taking the appropriate drugs in a timely manner. And the duty of any tour operator is to inform its customers about the possible danger and the necessary preventive measures.