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MOSQUITO 101 :
Our expert Kurt Godwin is very passionate about informing the public about what a mosquito is and why controlling mosquito populations is so important .
• Only female mosquitos rely on human blood , mainly as a source of protein for egg development .
• Both males and females rely on plant nectar as their primary food source .
• Most mosquitos will live and die within just yards from where they hatched .
• Mosquitos hide in cool , shady areas during the heat of the day , then come out in the late afternoon and evening to enjoy nectar and to hunt for their human prey .
• The female mosquito lays up to 400 eggs at a time , and will do that up to four times over her 14 to 21-day life cycle .
• One mosquito has the potential to breed 1800 larva in her brief lifetime . All that is required for this fecundity is daytime temperatures above 50 ° and ¼ inch of water .
• Mosquito eggs remain viable for up to nine months . If eggs are laid in November while the weather is still reasonably warm , that egg will go dormant when temperatures fall below 50 ° and will become active again when things heat up in March .
Although worries over mosquito and tick-borne diseases arise every summer , never has anxiety over the havoc that a bite from either of these two pests can impose on a victim ’ s immediate and future health been more acute .
According to Kurt Godwin , owner of Mosquito Joe in Anne Arundel and Howard counties , the mosquitos that carry West Nile Virus and Zika are prevalent in Maryland . Cases of these diseases and others continue to rise as summer months advance , and hundreds of mosquitoborne infections are reported in Maryland every year . You don ’ t have to live with the pesky bites and the scary risks inherent to an insect bite . Here is what you need to know to stay safe and comfortable in Chesapeake Country this year . The Maryland Department of Agriculture notes that each of the sixty species of mosquitoes known to live in Maryland has adapted to a wide range of habitats , including swamps , marshes , tree holes , septic ditches , rock pools , patio pots , discarded tires or kiddie pools , puddles and ponds . These habitats all have a common characteristic : stagnant water not subject to significant wind , wave action or flow .
In Maryland , ten species of mosquitoes occur in the greatest abundance or have the greatest impact on human comfort , economic growth and public health . A major pest , Aedes albopictus , popularly known as the Asian tiger mosquito , is a recent addition to the Maryland mosquito population . Initially discovered in Baltimore City in 1987 , the tiger mosquito has extended its known range to all Maryland counties except Allegany and Garrett . Introduced to the area via the international used-tire trade and spread through tire shipments , the Asian Tiger mosquito is vector of West Nile encephalitis . Aedes japonicus , first found in Frederick County in 2000 , is a relatively new addition . Also a hitchhiker on tires , this mosquito is an excellent vector of disease .
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GREENBOOK | SUMMER 2017