Why should not put all mosquitoes in the identical bag! | EUROtoday

Why should not put all mosquitoes in the identical bag!
 | EUROtoday

8:30 p.m., a summer time night. The terrace bathes within the golden gentle of the sundown. The rosé is contemporary, the grills able to be served. Suddenly an acute roar breaks the tranquility of the second and … bzzz … you ice blood! A primary chunk on the arm. Another ankle. Summer and its mosquito procession is again.

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In a couple of minutes, any relaxed vacationer turns right into a hysterical hunter, multiplying slaps in a vacuum, as ridiculous because it was in reality. The continuation is simply as predictable: agitated night time towards the background of feeling of helplessness within the face of an nearly elusive enemy. Windows closed within the warmth wave or cuned buttons that itch: that is the dilemma that punctuates our summer time evenings. And when it’s not us, it’s our kids who scratch to blood, generally remodeling the vacations into an actual ordeal.

A big position in our ecosystems

What if these bites had been solely the prelude to extra severe threats? In latest years, a newcomer has appeared: the tiger mosquito. Smaller than its cousins ​​however dreadingly aggressive, this predator striped with white will not be content material to disturb our evenings. He stings all day and might transmit DENGE, CHIKUNGUNYA and ZIKA virus.

A menace that well being authorities take very critically, whereas the insect has already colonized greater than half of the French departments. However, as shocking as it could appear, solely a tiny a part of these bugs actually targets us. Of the three,727 species of mosquitoes recognized on the earth (in keeping with the Mosquito Taxonomic Inventory), barely 100 assaults man. And amongst them, solely females sting, not for meals however solely to make sure the event of their eggs.

Even higher: these bugs that rot our lives play a big position in our ecosystems. These dipteres – order of bugs characterised by a single pair of wings – are to start with pollinators, actually secondary in comparison with bees or butterflies, however not negligible. If females solely take blood from blood for his or her eggs, they feed, like males, primarily nectar. In some areas such because the Arctic, the place pollinating bugs are uncommon, their position within the copy of crops may even be decisive.

The larvae, then again, actively take part within the recycling of vitamins in aquatic environments. By feeding on microorganisms and decaying natural matter, they contribute to the basic cycles of carbon and nitrogen. Even extra shocking, some species, akin to splendens toxorhynchites, even play a pure regulator position: their larvae devour these of mosquitoes vectors of ailments, thus contributing to limiting the proliferation of dangerous species.

Important meals chain hyperlink

In addition, even when no species relies upon solely on them, mosquitoes are an vital hyperlink within the meals chain. In the larval state, they represent a supply of protein for the aquatic ecosystem: fish, tadpoles, dragonfly larvae and different predatory bugs feed on it abundantly. And, as soon as adults, they turn out to be a meals useful resource for a lot of different species: swallows, martinets, bats, but additionally spiders, dragonflies and amphibians. Did you already know that one pipistrelle can devour as much as 600 mosquitoes in a single night time?


To uncover



The kangaroo of the day

Answer



So how do you take pleasure in summer time with out being devoured? Some easy gestures restrict the inconvenience attributable to these night time invasions. First reflex: to trace down stagnant waters round the home. Cups, buckets, obstructed gutters are all nurseries for mosquito larvae. The set up of mosquito nets within the home windows and using a fan – these bugs hate drafts – additionally represent efficient parades.

Avoid perfumes, particularly these constructed from musk or vanilla, which magnetize them and favor lengthy and clear garments within the night. Mosquitoes are naturally extra drawn to darkish shades, which higher take up warmth. On the opposite hand, don’t worry about your pure pond: if its ecosystem is effectively balanced, it homes sufficient predators to naturally regulate mosquito populations. A lesson in cohabitation which reminds us that even essentially the most annoying species have their place within the massive orchestra of the residing.


https://www.lepoint.fr/science/pourquoi-il-ne-faut-pas-mettre-tous-les-moustiques-dans-le-meme-sac-11-07-2025-2594143_25.php