Blood. The online reference site Wikipedia defines blood as “a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body’s cells (in animals) – such as nutrients and oxygen – and transports waste products away from those same cells.” Our circulatory system is the pipeline for delivering that life-sustaining fluid all throughout our body. Without it, we just dry up and die. I know — it’s a real pleasant beginning to this week’s column — which, by the way, isn’t just about blood.
It’s about those ravenous thirsty bloodsuckers.
Now, don’t assume that I’m referring to characters in the Twilight series of movies or any particular member of the U.S. House of Representatives. No. I refer to the bane of our existence here in the Keys, those unwelcome bloodthirsty predators known as mosquitoes.
(Strike horror music chord.)
The mosquito (derived from the Spanish word for “little fly”) is a small yet annoying flying vampire. At least the female mosquitoes are. The male mosquito survives by simply sucking nectar from plants. The females also get nourishment from plant nectar. The problem comes about when the female mosquito gets the urge to reproduce, lay eggs, and create the next generation of little bloodthirsty monsters. The only way a female mosquito can accomplish her task of breeding is to have … A BLOOD MEAL! (Horror music chord.)
That’s where we come into the picture. Now, I’ve lived in the Florida Keys since 1984. I spent a good chunk of the 1960s (Florida’s frontier days) growing up near Cape Canaveral. I lived probably a year of my life in the Tampa/St. Pete area as well. I’ve been around what some have called the Florida State Bird most of my life. I know mosquitoes. And with rare exceptions, I am not nearly bothered by them as much as many other folks. I’ve seen lots of people, many of them visitors, who seem to attract the little buggers and have copious amounts of those little mosquito bite lumps on their arms and legs.
If you’re scratching your head in disbelief (while the other hand is scratching the mosquito bites), there aren’t many good explanations. An online search shows that scientists cite different factors — blood type, uric or lactic acid in sweat, carbon dioxide production, skin bacteria — as to why mosquitoes prefer some humans over others. Most of these online sources go on to state that none of these reasons are conclusive.
While this discussion doesn’t comfort me much, I am consoled by the fact that our lives here are basically made possible by Florida Keys Mosquito Control. After the Florida Legislature passed enabling legislation in 1949, Monroe County voters overwhelmingly voted on Nov. 7, 1950 to approve the creation of the Monroe County Anti-Mosquito District.
While methods of reducing mosquito numbers have varied throughout the years, I am exceedingly grateful that these men and women of Mosquito Control do their jobs on a daily basis. Whether it’s larvicide, adulticide, community education or just eliminating the standing water sources that let mosquitoes breed, we have them to thank for the lack of sheer bloodsucking annoyance — as well as mosquito-borne disease prevention.
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been here since 1984. In those days, Mosquito Control sprayed their insecticide from the engine cowlings of old DC-3 aircraft, mixed with diesel smoke. I had a lot of fun with out-of-town visitors who wondered why the plane was flying so low and then telling them, “Oh no — the engine just exploded!”
Finally, allow me to rebuke the theory that suggests that if a person’s blood alcohol level is high enough, adult female mosquitoes will perish because of alcohol poisoning. As much as we may want to believe it, it’s just not true. It might, however, make getting bitten just a little more tolerable.
– Catch John live Thursdays at Sparky’s Landing, this Friday at Isla Bella, and Sunday afternoons at Skipjack Tiki. Find his music anywhere you download or stream your music. www.johnbartus.com • johnbartus.hearnow.com
