On a summer evening you really want to have a barbecue in the yard or garden. But such events are often marred by large concentrations of buzzing mosquitoes.
They seem to fly right next to our ears. But why do they make that annoying buzzing sound? And how to escape from their bites in the summer?
“The buzzing in the ear is basically a side effect of the mosquito's wings beating,” said Michael Riehle, professor of entomology. “The sound doesn't have a wide range, so you notice it most when insects fly directly over your ear.”
Interesting facts about mosquito squeaks
Few creatures on the planet have the opportunity to boast of finding mention in the literature about radio engineering. Along with the bat, the mosquito is related to them. It is famous for its characteristic itching, which is used:
- For popular comparisons, examples in acoustics. It is present at the beginning and end of acoustic tables.
- To determine the hearing threshold. The sound power generated by the insect is distributed over a sphere with a radius of 2 meters. Squeak power per 1 sq. m of the surface of such a sphere - the area of the input canal of the ear - is 250 watts. The mass of air driven is approximately 44 kg.
- For simulation in danger signaling devices at military installations.
Reasons for the effectiveness of ultrasonic repellers
Insects emit a characteristic squeak to convey to others a signal of danger. Fertilized females use sound to repel males. Ultrasonic repellers imitate danger signals - the flight of a dragonfly, the signals of a bat, and also the warning of a fertilized female. Simple devices are extremely effective in the fight against bloodsuckers, which once again confirms their important role in creating the squeak of mosquitoes.
In parallel with this, the characteristic sounds of mosquitoes indicate the approach of insects to the victim - a person, and risk being killed. The same feature notifies natural enemies about the location of food.
Reproduction
The lifespan of mosquitoes depends not only on environmental conditions, but also on the sex of the individual. The female, under favorable conditions, can live 56 days. The young generation of mosquitoes is born after approximately 21 days. Initially, the males emerge, fly to the grass near the place where they lived as larvae, and wait for the females.
The active process of insect reproduction begins at the end of April, in May. Insects gather in flocks, fertilization occurs on the fly. Young females attract individuals of the opposite sex with a special squeak.
Mosquito breeding cycle
Within 10 days after fertilization, males die, females look for a victim to drink blood. This food source is necessary for the egg formation process to begin.
Having satisfied its nutritional needs, the insect looks for a place to lay eggs. This should be a body of standing water or a basement with running water. Less commonly, mosquitoes lay eggs in damp soil.
Inside the female, the young generation develops in about 3 days. Lays future larvae in groups or one at a time. Upon completion of this stage, the insect again looks for a victim to repeat the process.
The squeak of a mosquito is the sound of flapping its wings, and males never bite people
It turns out that the squeak of a mosquito is not a voice, but the sound of flapping wings, the number of vibrations of which is 450-550 times per second. Moreover, mosquitoes have only two pairs of wings. The weight of the insect is so small that a light breeze poses a mortal danger to it, and the web into which the unfortunate person falls does not even lose its integrity and weaving pattern.
It is difficult to find a person who would like mosquitoes. They are carriers of harmful infections, allergens and irritants. But this insect is a treasure trove of interesting facts.
It has been proven that only females . The purpose of blood consumption is reproduction. Males feed on water and pollen, which confirms their lack of interest in humans. The life of males is fleeting: 2-4 weeks , females - up to one and a half months.
Blood rich in useful elements is not a thirst for satiety, but a need for prolongation of the family. It is the blood protein, when processed in the female’s stomach, that is responsible for the production of protein in the eggs. By feeding on blood, females are able to lay eggs several times during their fleeting lives.
By biting the skin, mosquitoes inject saliva, which anesthetizes the bite site and also makes the blood more fluid. It is saliva that causes irritation, swelling and itching after a mosquito bite.
Female mosquitoes prefer dense, sweaty victims. Hunters smell the sweaty body and lactic acid secreted from sweat 2 kilometers before approaching the victim. The individual scent of a person can radically change the flight path of an insect.
Exhalation saturated with carbon dioxide is another lure for females. Mosquito antennae are scent-catching locators. In pursuit of a victim, a mosquito can cover a distance of 64 kilometers in one go.
The maturation period of the offspring is up to 4 days: from the birth of the egg to the laying of eggs. Mosquito eggs laid in the ground can lie for a long period until the opportune moment arrives.
Read also: Crocodiles do not cry tears
Having heard the sound of a mosquito within the radius of one’s stay, a person immediately starts hunting for the annoying insect. Of course, the carrier of pathogenic bacteria must be immediately neutralized and destroyed. But one cannot fail to note the benefits of dipterans, which also occur in natural processes:
- Being a source of food for many animals and fish, mosquitoes participate in regulating stable food circulation in nature;
- males ensure plant pollination by feeding on pollen and nectar and carrying them on their proboscis and paws.
This is what a mosquito is like - a small squeaking insect that irritates in the summer heat and provides a diet for animal fauna.
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Buzzing or squeaking
These signals are generated by the movement of layers of air. There are many types of sound vibrations, differing in frequency and duration of sound, and the conditions in which they arise. The difference between the buzzing and squeaking of insects is hundreds of hertz.
What does a mosquito squeak?
A mosquito is more likely to produce a squeak than a buzz. It does not make this sound with a voice at all, contrary to popular belief, since the insect is completely deprived of it. Then what does a mosquito squeak? The squeak is generated by the rapid flapping of miniature wings.
Why the squeak?
Many insects buzz, but the mosquito squeaks. Why is that? The whole reason is the size of the insect itself. It is quite small in size, and its wings are too thin and narrow. Therefore, its flight generates a signal of the highest pitch, which is perceived as such a sound.
It squeaks and doesn't buzz
For comparison, the frequency of oscillatory movements produced by the wings of a mosquito reaches 1000 hertz or more, and by the wings of a bumblebee - 130-240 Hz. Therefore, they do not produce a thin sound, like a mosquito, but a bass sound. The flight of butterflies is completely silent, because the frequency of movements of its wings varies from 5 -9 Hz. The exception is a butterfly called the hawk moth, which creates a squeak.
Squeak squeak discord
Probably, many of us focused our attention on the fact that the “voice” of these insects sounds differently. The reason for this is the species and sex of individuals
The “voice” signals of females are much subtler than those of males. This characteristic sound helps to attract males during the mating season. And the singing of young individuals is not the same as that of older ones. Therefore, recognizing these differences, males choose younger females. The sound of males is a low buzzing itch.
Why does an insect make a sound?
Why does a mosquito squeak, because it is not beneficial for it to give itself away to the victim. It is much more useful for him to sneak up unnoticed. Then why do mosquitoes squeak?
The ability to fly or the desire to sing
It is known for certain that females use a characteristic itch to attract a male during mating periods, as already written above.
Other causes of mosquito itching
It's all about the halteres
But is this the only reason for mosquito itching? Why do mosquitoes squeak?
The fact is that in blood-sucking insects characteristic organs called halteres are responsible for balance. Their sound is associated with the activity of the organ of balance, and not at all with the wings.
By the way, halteres also used to have wings. This is evidenced by their shape, reminiscent of dumbbells or flasks. Their role can be compared with the role of a well-promoted spinning top. Its axis, maintaining a fixed orientation in space, allows you to maintain the balance of the entire structure.
Mechanism of sound appearance
The squeak of a mosquito is familiar to everyone - extremely thin, annoying, irritating. Warns that at the slightest opportunity a bite will follow. It would be much more profitable for a blood-sucking creature to approach the victim silently, but the parasite cannot prevent the appearance of a special signal.
It does not produce sound from the mouth or nasopharynx. What a mosquito squeaks is of interest to many. The sound comes from its wings, which it flaps with extraordinary speed. When it comes into contact with air, a sound similar to squeaking appears. A peculiar buzzing sound begins to be emitted immediately with the first flap of its wings.
Interesting!
Why mosquitoes do not buzz, like many other insects, also has its own explanation. The wings are extremely thin and narrow, and the mosquito itself is miniature in size. In blood-sucking creatures, special halteres, not wings, are responsible for balance in the air. Therefore, the sound is produced more by these parts of the body than by flapping the wings at high speed.
Larval development
The development rate of the young generation of mosquitoes depends on the water temperature. The optimal indicator is 15-20 degrees Celsius. The duration of development of larvae in the egg is from 40 hours to 8 days. They are born no larger than 2 mm in size. The body of the larva consists of a head, thorax, and abdomen. The future mosquito feeds on microorganisms in the water.
During the entire period of development, the larvae molt 4 times, constantly increasing in size. The cycle from egg formation to adult emergence lasts about 60 days. At the last stage of development, the larva turns into a pupa, shaped like a comma.
In the pupal stage, the mosquito develops from 2 to 5 days. During this time, serious changes take place inside. The pupa is extremely active, can go deep into the water, but periodically emerges to replenish oxygen reserves.
Upon completion of development, the mosquito breaks through the upper part, sticks out its head, then its chest. The last to be shown are the limbs. The body size of a regular mosquito is 4 mm. The insect is immediately ready for fertilization, so it begins an active search for a sexual partner.
Strong smell
Sensors located on the antennae help mosquitoes find prey by the smell of urine, sweat and carbon dioxide emissions. Mosquitoes also detect a target by outgoing thermal radiation.
If a person emits a stronger odor than other people, then mosquitoes will prefer to attack the target highlighted by the “aroma.” Maintaining hygiene and clean clothes will help you become an uninteresting object for insects.
A person with a high temperature will attract the attention of mosquitoes, so during the period of illness the likelihood of becoming a victim of insects is increased. Some people have a constant body temperature of 38° - this is the norm for their body
Because of this feature, mosquitoes attack one person, but do not touch another
Some people have a constant body temperature of 38° - this is the norm for their body. Because of this feature, mosquitoes attack one person, but do not touch another.
In women, the temperature may rise during menstruation or due to pregnancy.
Mosquitoes navigate by carbon dioxide. Children inhale and exhale much more actively. Scientists suggest that because of this, a child more often becomes a victim of an insect.
Life activity in early spring
Mosquito
Where mosquitoes come from immediately after winter with severe frosts is a mystery to some people. There is nothing special about this for specialists. With the onset of cold weather, fertilized females look for a secluded place for wintering. They climb into the cracks of outbuildings, houses, forest litter, and tree bark.
Mosquitoes overwinter in a state of suspended animation, but do not fall into deep hibernation. As soon as you bring the insect into a warm room, it immediately comes to life. In winter, insects live in damp basements, where the temperature does not drop below +12 degrees Celsius. However, reproduction activity is not so high. Only females can overwinter.
What about in winter?
Mosquitoes are most active in the summer, especially if it is humid. In autumn, their numbers become noticeably smaller, and by winter they completely disappear from sight. Where do mosquitoes winter and how do they survive this time of year?
In fact, there is no need to worry about little bloodsuckers, since they are able to winter peacefully, and at every stage of their development. Both eggs, pupae, larvae, and adults retain their full viability in the cold months. They build their nests in secluded places where frost and chilly winds will not penetrate. Such places are:
- tree hollows;
- cavities under the bark;
- animal burrows;
- dry caked grass;
- cracks in houses;
- places under stones.
And if you’re lucky, mosquitoes can settle in special conditions in winter. These include places created by man, for example, basements, cellars, vegetable stores, outbuildings and, in fact, apartments and private houses. In the latter case, insects do not even disturb their usual diet, continuing to feed on the blood of people and animals.
On a note! Some tropical species are able to survive the winter under the ice, and with the arrival of the warm season they “thaw” and rise into the air in a multimillion-dollar blood-sucking cloud. For this reason, spring and summer are especially difficult times of the year for the inhabitants of the tundra!
In temperate and northern climates, little vampires endure the winter in a state of diapause or, in other words, hibernate. At this time, insects do not develop or reproduce, all physiological processes decrease, as does the level of metabolism, and morphogenesis processes are suspended.
Life activity of mosquitoes
Life activity of a mosquito
The main task of males is to enable females to lay eggs. They live a short life - 10 days, feed on plant nectar, and spend most of their time in the meadow and forest. The main parasite is the female.
Virgin individuals also feed on nectar, but immediately after fertilization there is a need for blood. A mosquito can fly up to 300 km in search of a victim. Develops a speed of 3 km per hour. The insect will determine the location of the victim 30 m away.
Mosquitoes are attracted by the natural smell - carbon dioxide when exhaling, sweat, microorganisms on the skin. The heat emanating from the body also gives away the victim, since the mosquito has infrared vision. A female can bite up to 15 times in one night.
The average lifespan of a female is 3 weeks; theoretically, she can live about 119 days. There are many enemies in nature - dragonflies, frogs, newts, lizards, chameleons, beetles. And also a person with chemical weapons, various means to combat mosquitoes.
Who's the biggest?
The largest mosquito in the world is the Karamor. This is a real giant, which is the largest representative of its family. It lives in a temperate or humid climate, preferring forests and other tree plantations, near which there must be swamps or other bodies of water.
Karamora larvae are a real scourge of agriculture. Baby giants eat living plants and are therefore capable of destroying even large plantations. But adult individuals feed on nectar, and in some cases they can go without food for a long time.
The size of the caramor is impressive - its length can reach 6-10 cm! But at the same time, the main part of the body consists of long legs, and the body itself is quite small. This giant can be frightening when encountered, but it poses no danger to humans.
