Get Ready to Itch:: It's almost always just the female of the species of mosquito that bites you on these hot summer days. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture)

It’s been mighty hot and dry in Minnesota this summer. And feeling the pinch, much to most people’s delight, are moquitoes.

The dry conditions have put a squeeze on breeding grounds for the little buggers. So while their numbers are down for now, here’s some information that you can use to prepare for their inevitable return.

Did you know….

* In most species of moquitoes, it’s the female that does the biting. Female mosquitoes need proteins they can find in blood to develop the eggs that they’re going to deposit in damp areas to hatch into future mosquitoes.

* That long needle they use to poke your skin isn’t smooth and sharp like a syringe. Instead, it’s got a lot of serration, like a steak knife. Those extra points help spread around the poking sensation when a mosquito bites, and keeping your body’s nerves from detecting something is poking into you.

* How does a moquito know to bite you? Primarily through their sense of smell. They have a highly developed sense for finding carbon dioxide of exhaled breath. They also like the aroma of several chemicals found in human sweat.

* Why does a mosquito bite often itch? It’s actually nothing that the mosquito puts into you. Rather, the bite area can become inflamed and itchy within 24 hours of the bite due to reactions to the bite from our body’s immune system and antibodies. The older you get, it is possible to become desensitized to the impact mosquito bites have on you. Conversely, little children my have stronger reactions to bites than adults.

* How can you best keep mosquitos away from you? One of the most effective repellents is a fan. Mosquitoes don’t like moving air and you can keep them at bay with a gentle breeze.

* Among the spray-on repellents, the most effective ones include at least one of the following ingredients: DEET, catnip oil extract, nepetalactone, citronella or eucalyptus oil extract.

* There is debate over the concept of using vitamins to keep away the pests. In know of people who go on trips to the Boundry Waters Canoe Area who swear that beefing up their B1 intake for a week before the trip helps keep away mosquitoes while they’re there. But there’s no credible scientific information backing up those assertations.

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