I’ve been trying to learn more about mosquitoes since several cases of malaria have been reported in the Bahamas (Great Exuma) recently. I grew up (Physically, I mean. Mentally, I think I’m stuck somewhere between ages 16 and 27) around these buzzing pests all my life, and I’ve always been fascinated by how they choose their victims.


Why, for example, do mosquitoes seem to swarm around some people like personal injury lawyers around a car accident, while other people completely escape the probing proboscis of the Anopheles gambiae?


(For those of you who may not grasp the high level of scientific nomenclature used in the last sentence, Anopheles gambiae are the Latin words used to describe the mosquito. Literally translated, the words mean ravenous blood-sucker that makes annoying buzzing sound in your ear when you’re sleeping under the stars in a sleeping bag and leaves a trail of itchy red bumps on your skin.)


Amazing how much thought the Latins could cram into just a few words!


We have a lot of mosquitoes in areas of the Bahamas, namely because we have some swampy ecosystems and lots of heat. They love that stuff. But that still doesn’t explain why they target some people and leave others alone. So I went onto the Internet to search for answers and came across a site called How Stuff Works that provides some interesting info on the subject. For example:


Chemical sensors - mosquitoes can sense carbon dioxide and lactic acid up to 100 feet (36 meters) away. Mammals and birds gives off these gases as part of their normal breathing. Certain chemicals in sweat also seem to attract mosquitoes (people who don't sweat much don't get nearly as many mosquito bites).


Visual sensors - if you are wearing clothing that contrasts with the background, and especially if you move while wearing that clothing, mosquitoes can see you and zero in on you. It's a good bet that anything moving is "alive", and therefore full of blood, so this is a good strategy.


Heat sensors - Mosquitoes can detect heat, so they can find warm-blooded mammals and birds very easily once they get close enough.


Sounds like the outline of some new military weapon to me.


The type of mosquito that is currently making the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism shake is the Anopheles. They include several species, such as the common malaria mosquito, Anopheles quadrimaculatus, that can spread malaria to humans, according to How Things Work.


But what I find most interesting about all the information that I’ve gotten on mosquitoes is this: only the female mosquito actually bites humans, spreading disease and misery across the world.


Quite interesting, indeed.