Mosquito.buzz Blog

It's safe to say that you can go ahead and tick the box entitled 'ticks' on your list of 'Insects To Be Wary Of'. 

There are literally thousands of different species of mosquitoes. They're here, they're there - they're everywhere. While the biggest culprits feed on our blood and spread horrible diseases, some of them prefer feeding on other animals, and some rarer varieties don't feed on blood at all. 

Here we break down the most common genus of mosquitoes.

We've heard it time and time again; there's something about you, in particular, that mosquitoes just love. Is it your charming personality? No, probably not. Your exquisite taste in music and film? We think not. Is it something about your aura? Well, sort of.

It all boils down to one simple fact; You stink. Good, bad... we don't know. But whatever the perspective, mosquitoes all have acute receptors that detect scents from up to 100 feet away. These are the primary indicators that female mosquitoes (the ones that do the biting) use to pick out their prey.

You may've had the cheesiest most amazing french onion soup. Your waitress might've had the loveliest smile. Your cocktail could've got you just the right amount of tipsy. And your crème brûlée might've been torched to perfection, with the much anticipated 'crack' meeting your highest expectations.

But if you sat through multiple mosquito bites during your dining experience, it'd be safe to say those fond memories were overshadowed by another more irritating one.

Although it has been widely suggested that Canada will not see local transmission of the Zika virus (due to the lack of Aedes mosquito species), four potentially Zika-carrying mosquitoes have been found in a mosquito trap in Windsor, Ontario last month.

Fresh herbs are a staple in every healthy home. They're handy for a bunch of reasons; from adding extra nutrition (and not to mention flavour) to home-cooked meals, or for soothing miscellaneous ailments, a few sprigs of your favourite herb can go a long way.

While most of us are quite keen on herbs (except for almost half the population that despise cilantro), mosquitoes aren't too fond of them.

6 herbs in particular are pretty good in helping deter mosquitoes around the home and backyard. Now, don't get us wrong; they're not going to eliminate mosquitoes completely, but they'll give you a good chance at warding them off.

Even though our furry friends may have a full coat of hair to cover them, they're still at risk of mosquito bites, particularly around the ears and nose. Mosquitoes aren't overly fussy when they're looking for a blood meal, and pets find themselves in a range of situations, just like us. From an irritating yet harmless itch, to a serious, harmful health concern, you just never know what might happen when it comes to mosquito bites.

Let's face it - nobody really like mosquitoes. Although we love the great outdoors, much of our time outside is spent unsuccessfully warding off biting pests.

From cheap as chips to not so much, there's a range of products out there for repelling mosquitoes, and the average Canadian has probably tried most of them.

Here's a quick guide to the types of products you should just scratch off the shopping list.

This month, Florida has begun to see an alarming number of homegrown cases of Zika; that is, non-travel related cases, which were the biggest worry some months ago. So far, Florida is the only US state to have local transmission of the virus.

As of August 24, there are now 43 local cases of Zika infection, with outbreaks occuring in Miami and Miami Beach. The number of travel-related cases in Florida is 523, and 70 of whom are pregnant.

With Florida's warm, humid climate, it's the ideal location for Aedes mosquitoes to thrive and spread the virus. But with so many locally transmitted cases appearing in such a short time, the Department of Health in Florida are understandably worried.

Barbecues, going swimming, basking in the sunshine, watching the sun go down; all these things are what makes the summertime so great. But mosquito bites... not so much.

Female mosquitoes love to feast on us; we provide the necessary nutrients for them to breed even more mosquitoes. While they're going to town on our nutritious blood, they inject saliva into us as an anticoagulant; in other words, their saliva acts as a blood thinner that makes it easier to suck up more of our blood.

That residual spit is the reason we get itchy; coincidently, it's also the reason why mosquitoes are the number 1 killers in the world, since their saliva can sometimes contain diseases. While mosquito borne illnesses are becoming more of a global concern, most of the time you're just left with ugly and incredibly itchy red bumps.

Here are a few ways you can get a bit of temporary relief.