![]() Initially shielding the Eternal City from the Visigoths, Huns and Vandals, they eventually pointed their proboscises inward on Rome itself. Malarious mosquitoes patrolling the Pontine Marshes facilitated both the rise and the fall of the Roman Empire. The mosquito and her diseases have accompanied traders, travelers, soldiers and settlers (and their captive African slaves) around the world and have been far more lethal than any manufactured weapons or inventions. Without her, human history would be completely unrecognizable. ![]() Yet without her, these pathogens could not be vectored to humans. It is the diseases she transmits that cause an endless barrage of death. Researchers suggest that mosquitoes may have killed nearly half of the 108 billion humans who have ever lived across our 200,000-year or more existence.įlying solo, the mosquito does not directly harm anyone. A swarming army of 100 trillion or more mosquitoes patrols nearly every inch of the globe, killing about 700,000 people annually. Mosquitoes are our apex predator, the deadliest hunter of human beings on the planet. As a parting gift, she leaves behind an itchy bump (an allergic reaction to her saliva) and potentially something far worse: infection with one of several deadly diseases, including malaria, Zika, West Nile, dengue and yellow fever. Stinky feet emit a bacterium that woos famished females, as do perfumes. Type O blood seems to be the vintage of choice. There is no truth to the myths that mosquitoes prefer women over men or blondes and redheads over those with darker hair. The female mosquito needs your blood to grow her eggs. ![]() This shortens her feeding time, lessening the likelihood that you splat her across your ankle. With this straw she sucks your blood, while a sixth needle pumps in saliva that contains an anticoagulant that prevents that blood from clotting. She gently lands on your ankle and inserts two serrated mandible cutting blades and saws into your skin, while two other retractors open a passage for the proboscis. It has been one of the most aggravating sounds on earth for more than 100 million years - the humming buzz of a mosquito.
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