At first glance, a mosquito is common insect, from which there is no benefit. It prevents us from sleeping at night, annoying us with its thin squeaks and painful bites. However, this pest is not as simple as it seems. Just the fact that the life of a mosquito began about 40 million years ago is amazing! And this is only the first chapter of it amazing story. We have collected the most interesting facts about mosquitoes, which will slightly lift the veil of secrecy and shed light on the mystery of the existence of this seemingly inconspicuous insect.

The life characteristics of a mosquito are amazing and incredibly entertaining!

Beginning of life

First you need to find out where mosquitoes come from. These small, ubiquitous insects emerge from eggs that females carefully lay on the surface of the water. The clutch immediately sinks to the bottom and after a few weeks the eggs turn into pupae, fully adapted to existence in an aquatic environment.

After some time, the small pupa completes the formation of all organs, after which it floats to the surface of the reservoir, the cocoon opens and an adult emerges from it.

Miracles of body structure

It is difficult to determine the exact mass of a mosquito, since its value is largely determined by the amount of food eaten. But there are still averages:

• a hungry insect weighs no more than 2 mg;
• Well-fed weight can reach from 3 to 5 mg.

Mosquito legs - what's special?

Many people are interested in the question of how many legs a mosquito has. He has three pairs of legs, like most insects on our planet. Each tarsus consists of five segments, and the last one necessarily has suckers, which are developed differently in each specific species.

However, it is not the number of legs that is of interest, but those very suction cups that allow the mosquito to calmly hold its body on vertical surfaces.

Oral apparatus

The mouthparts of a mosquito are no less interesting. It consists of two pairs of jaws and two lips - upper and lower. The lips of this insect are slightly elongated and, having such a structure, resemble a gutter. If you look inside it, you can find long needles that are jaws.

So, these insects have jaws, lips and even a tongue that produces saliva. And here a reasonable question arises: do mosquitoes have teeth? And what’s surprising is that there is. They are very small, and their number reaches 50 pieces. It is thanks to them that the bloodsucker can pierce the skin.

What are wings - the ability to fly or... sing?

Another amazing feature of these insects is the ability to squeak in the absence of a voice. So, why does a mosquito squeak? In fact, the squeak is not the result of work vocal cords, but the sound it makes with its wings.

Note! Other insects are also capable of producing characteristic sounds using only their wings. And most of them make a buzzing sound - flies, bees, bumblebees, wasps, etc.!

Why doesn’t a mosquito buzz, but rather squeak? It's all about size. His wings, like himself, are very small and also quite thin and narrow. Each wing beat merges with the sound of the next beat, generating a high-frequency sound that our ear perceives as a squeak. How many flaps per second does a mosquito make? Their frequency is incredibly high and amounts to about 600 times per second!

Some interesting facts about mosquito squeaks:

• this sound helps females attract males during mating;
• mosquitoes hear not a squeak, but vibrations of sound that they pick up with their antennae;
• in females the squeak is somewhat thinner than in males;
• The squeak of young females differs from the sound of adults, and it is precisely based on these differences that the male chooses a mate for himself - a more mature female.

Nutrition - who bites, why, whom and why

And who bites, a male mosquito or a female? Only females give us discomfort, regardless of what species they belong to. And they don’t care who they bite – a person or an animal. The main thing is that blood flows in the victim’s veins.

However, there are surprising features here too. Being notorious vampires, female mosquitoes are capable of becoming “vegetarians” for a while.

Note! Vegetarianism is a necessary measure and females resort to it only when long absence source of blood!

What do mosquitoes eat besides blood? Yours protein menu they switch to carbohydrates and feed on flower nectar, plant sap and pollen. By the way, for males this diet is lifelong and they feel great. But for females such food is not the most suitable, since during the period of vegetarianism they lose the ability to lay eggs.

Note! Some don't eat anything at all. For example, bell mosquitoes, which are easily recognized by the twitching of their legs when they sit. Such individuals do not live very long - their life expectancy is no more than a week, often only three days!

Having considered the features of the diet, it becomes clear why mosquitoes drink blood. The answer here is obvious - to live and be continuers of the family. Therefore, the cyclicity of egg laying will depend on the possibility of blood consumption. One mosquito clutch is from 30 to 150 eggs, and the female produces offspring every two to three days!

Choice of victim

Why don't mosquitoes bite everyone? After all, it is known that these insects choose a victim for themselves, but on what basis? There are several assumptions.

1. Blood group - these bloodsuckers are interested in the protein contained in the blood of a certain group, namely the first. Next in popularity are carriers of the third group, but the second is not so attractive for them.
   

   Note! The insect learns about the blood type by the signal that the person himself gives through his own skin, and about 85% of such people!

2. The smell of carbon dioxide that a person exhales is attractive to the bloodsucker. And the more carbon dioxide the victim produces and the more often the victim breathes, the more likely the bloodsucker is to attack. And a mosquito senses it at a distance of 50 m!
   

   Note! For this reason, flying vampires bite children more often!

   Mosquitoes are most active in the summer, especially if it is humid. In autumn, their numbers become noticeably smaller, and by winter they completely disappear from sight. Where do mosquitoes winter and how do they survive this time of year?

   In fact, there is no need to worry about little bloodsuckers, since they are able to winter peacefully, and at every stage of their development. Both eggs, pupae, larvae, and adults retain their full viability in the cold months. They build their nests in secluded places where frost and chilly winds will not penetrate. Such places are:

   • tree hollows;
   • cavities under the bark;
   • animal burrows;
   • dry caked grass;
   • cracks in houses;
   • places under stones.

   And if you’re lucky, mosquitoes can settle in winter special conditions. These include places created by man, for example, basements, cellars, vegetable stores, outbuildings and, in fact, apartments and private houses. In the latter case, insects do not even violate their usual diet, continuing to feed on the blood of people and animals.

   Note! Some tropical species are able to survive the winter under the ice, and with the arrival of the warm season they “thaw” and rise into the air in a multimillion-dollar blood-sucking cloud. For this reason, spring and summer are especially difficult times of the year for the inhabitants of the tundra!

   In temperate and northern climates, little vampires endure the winter in a state of diapause or, in other words, hibernate. At this time, insects do not develop or reproduce, that’s all physiological processes decrease, as does the level of metabolism, and the formation processes are suspended.

   Where to take a break from mosquitoes?

   Considering the habitat of annoying bloodsuckers, we can assume that they live only near bodies of water, and therefore a completely reasonable question arises: are there mosquitoes in the mountains? As observations show, these insects exist wherever there is a person, since he is the main source of food for them. Therefore, you won’t be able to take a break from these bloodsuckers even in the mountains.

   Although in fairness it is worth noting that for normal life they need certain conditions:

   • if the thermometer drops below +12°C, mosquitoes will be unable to fly or bite;
   • at temperatures above +28°C they become noticeably less active;
   • These bloodsuckers feel most comfortable at a temperature of +16°C and air humidity of 80...90%.

   Who's the biggest?

   The largest mosquito in the world is the Karamor. This is a real giant who is the most major representative of his family. It lives in a temperate or humid climate, preferring forests and other tree plantations, near which there must be swamps or other bodies of water.

   Karamora larvae are a real scourge of agriculture. Baby giants eat living plants and are therefore capable of destroying even large plantations. But adult individuals feed on nectar, and in some cases they can go without food for a long time.

   The size of the caramor is impressive - its length can reach 6-10 cm! But at the same time, the main part of the body consists of long legs, and the body itself is quite small. This giant can be frightening when encountered, but it poses no danger to humans.

   Mosquitoes are useful!

   It would seem, what could be the benefit of mosquitoes? They only fly and bite, while also carrying some diseases. But in fact, these insects are unique creatures of nature, according to the laws of which nothing can happen for nothing.

   • Firstly, mosquitoes are food for fish, birds, other large insects, newts and many species of other animals, and therefore represent the stability of the food cycle.
   • Secondly, these ubiquitous insects occupy far from the last place in the ecological balance, since after turning into an adult insect they are carried out of water bodies important microelements and enrich the soil with them after their death.
   • Thirdly, males, feeding on nectar, contribute to the pollination of plants by carrying pollen on their paws.
   • Fourthly, a mosquito, simply feeding on blood, supplies it with anticoagulants that reduce clotting, and this is useful for the category of people suffering from diseases associated with increased level platelets.

   And even if scientific facts And strong argument regarding the benefits of mosquitoes will never be discovered, you know enough for such a simple and sometimes annoying mosquito to deserve your respect.

With the exception of Antarctica. There are about 3,000 species around the world! Moreover, more than 100 species live directly on the territory of our country. In this article we will talk about an interesting and paradoxical mosquito phenomenon - its death after its own bite... What is this feature and is it true? In general, let's find out if he's dying

Main types of mosquitoes

Life cycle

All mosquitoes undergo several stages of transformation during their development. The last metamorphoses are called “imago” - this is a full-fledged winged insect, ready for mating. Only females drink blood, since males prefer to feast on nectar outside the city. After mating occurs, the mosquito begins to look for someone to stick its sharp proboscis into and drink the desired blood.

Do they die after their bites?

The belief that a mosquito dies after being bitten is erroneous. Females cannot die after this. The fact is that they need blood in order to reproduce. If the female cannot get the treasured food, then her offspring will still be born, but she herself, unfortunately for her, will die, because she will give everything vitality and the necessary enzymes for their larvae!

If we talk about how long mosquitoes live after being bitten, then the length of their remaining life will always be on average one to two months. Therefore, there is no connection between the bite of a bloodsucker and the duration of its existence, or it has not yet been proven. However, please! At the very beginning of the article we mentioned some kind of mosquito phenomenon! Is he really not there? No, friends, he is! This is where the fun begins...

Let's turn on logic!

Questions regarding after a bite torment many curious people to this day. Why? After all, they must have some basis! And it, friends, is there! And you know it better than anyone else! Here’s the answer to the question: “What do you do with mosquitoes when you realize that they are sitting on you and greedily drinking your blood, while delivering unpleasant pain"That's right - you just slam them on the spot! This is where the whole phenomenon of a bloodsucker's life depending on its bites lies. It's like a double-edged sword. With scientific point From the point of view, natural mosquito death comes for them in a month or two, regardless of how many people (and animals) they have bitten, but from the philistine perspective - most of the buzzing bloodsuckers that bite us die for this at the same moment, finding themselves under the palm of their victim ...

If we consider the process of a mosquito bite from a medical perspective, then the danger directly in the insect bite itself does not exist for most people. However, this is exactly what we can observe today - each of us during the warm season of the year is gnawed by these bloodthirsty insects, and we don’t care.

However, there are people who are susceptible to mosquito bites due to their allergic reaction to substances contained in mosquito saliva. As you know, when a mosquito inserts its proboscis under the skin, it finds blood vessel of the required diameter, such that this same proboscis fits into it, pierces its wall and, before taking the first sip, injects its biological fluids, which scientists called saliva.

Mosquito saliva contains protein structures, which have analgesic and anticoagulant (prevents blood clotting) effects. Thus, nature helps the mosquito to perform the act of taking blood as quickly as possible in order to reduce the amount of time during which the insect can be destroyed by its owner.

The protein introduced by the mosquito is foreign to our body, and it tries to eliminate it as quickly as possible by connecting immune cells. These immune bodies flock to the site of the bite and the active process deactivation of a foreign protein, which is essentially a local micro allergic reaction, promoting the production of histamine and other substances that contribute to the course of allergies. It is for this reason that at the site of the bite we can observe all the signs of a similar process - redness and swelling.

In people who are healthy in this regard, the immune system quickly copes with foreign proteins at the local level, and the problem disappears after 2-3 days.

However, in people who are particularly susceptible to such substances, a phenomenon called sensitization may occur, when the allergic reaction is so active that it affects all systems of the body. Such people, after several mosquito bites, may experience general signs fever, shortness of breath, disturbances in the functioning of the heart, which without the participation of doctors can lead to this dangerous condition, like anaphylaxis, often resulting in death.

Fortunately, few people experience this type of problem. There are much fewer people allergic to mosquito bites than those who react similarly to bee stings. This is why large mosquitoes in Russia are dangerous.

The most dangerous mosquitoes, or Why mosquitoes are dangerous to humans

The second problem associated with mosquito bites is the possibility of severe infection. infectious disease, the pathogens of which insects can transfer from person to person. However, it is immediately worth noting that residents middle zone Russia is much luckier, since in our area there are almost no mosquitoes that could carry this kind of disease, with the exception of the southern regions. But residents of the North and South American continents, Africa and Australia were much less fortunate. They have every chance of contracting a fatal disease from a mosquito bite and here are some of them.

Meeting in almost every country in the Americas on February 1, 2016, it was declared as a global emergency in the area public health. This disease actually causes a rare birth defect called microcephaly - neurological disorder, which results in babies being born with abnormally small heads and developmental abnormalities.

The Zika virus is usually transmitted through the bite of an Aedes mosquito, or more precisely, two representatives of this mosquito genus - the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti). However, it is worth adding that the disease can also be spread through sexual contact.

These types of mosquitoes are quite aggressive daytime blood-sucking insects. The Asian tiger mosquito, which is found in all tropical and subtropical territories, also transmits dengue fever and a disease with the simple name Chikungunya, which are no less dangerous to human life.

There is currently no vaccine or treatment for the disease, so travelers traveling through Zika virus-infected areas are required to prevent mosquito bites, which is the best and only protection against the disease. Pregnant women should avoid traveling to countries where Zika is present due to the risk to their unborn children.

Most people infected with Zika (80%) have no symptoms or don't realize they have them. clinical signs, as a rule, soft and sluggish. Common symptoms include mild fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes).

Estimated World Organization health, 3 to 4 million people across the Americas will be infected with the virus next year 2017. To date, Zika virus is actively transmitted locally in Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay , Puerto Rico, St. Martin, Suriname, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands and Venezuela.

Dangerous mosquitoes in Russia from the genus Aedes are found in a very narrow range, limited to the Caucasian Black Sea coast and Abkhazia.

It should be noted that in order for a mosquito to become a carrier of the Zika virus, it must first bite a person sick with the disease. While there are no such people on our territory, we have nothing to fear, but in for preventive purposes on at the moment An active campaign is underway to eliminate mosquitoes that are dangerous for pregnant Russian women.

Malaria

Only on last stage development of Plasmodium in the blood system, infected patients begin to exhibit symptoms such as fever, chills, sweating, headaches and other flu-like conditions. The infection can sometimes produce even more severe reactions, including renal failure, which often ends in death, especially if the disease is not treated.

Malaria can be transmitted certain types mosquitoes called Anopheles malaria. But, as in the case of the Zika virus, it is not always where there is malaria mosquito, there will be malaria directly. Conditions required for Plasmodium transfer environment, and these are frost-free winters and wet swampy places, which we can only find in the southern regions.

In Soviet times, a lot of effort was made to combat malaria on the territory of the Union, especially in the resort areas of Sochi. However, due to the collapse of the country and the distraction of attention, the disease began to reappear. To date. Local diseases of malaria are isolated cases, but it is still possible to catch the disease.

The viral infection is carried in the blood of birds. Culex mosquitoes acquire it by feeding on the blood of infected birds, and then, after the pathogen spreads through the mosquito's systems, the insects transmit it to humans through their saliva during feeding.

West Nile virus multiplies in the human bloodstream and is transferred to the brain, where it begins to affect the central nervous system. nervous system and causes inflammation of brain tissue in a process better known as encephalitis. If this occurs, the patient will develop a high fever, headaches, swollen lymph nodes, and a stiff neck. In the most severe cases, the infection can lead to seizures, coma, and death. Even if a severely infected person survives, there is a high chance of permanent neurological deficits.

Doesn't exist specific treatment West Nile virus.

However, only one in 150 people infected with this disease suffers severe symptoms diseases. People over 50 are most at risk. About 80% of those infected show no symptoms at all.

Researchers believe that people who become infected immediately develop natural immunity to West Nile virus that will last the rest of their lives.

Like previous diseases, West Nile fever originates from hot Africa. In Russia, this disease did not occur until 1999; since that date, more and more cases have been registered in the south of the country - the Volgograd, Astrakhan, Rostov, Voronezh, Lipetsk regions and the Krasnodar Territory.

This is another infection caused by one of four viruses characteristic of tropical and subtropical climatic conditions. Is the disease spread by Aedes mosquitoes? in much the same way as West Nile fever and other encephalitic viruses. A mosquito is capable of transmitting dengue about a week after biting an infected person.

As the dengue virus multiplies and damages cells in the body, an infected person begins to show symptoms similar to other infections: high fever, headaches, back and joint pain, rashes and sore eyes. If the fever lasts up to a week, it is usually accompanied by bruising and bleeding - the main symptoms hemorrhagic fever dengue.

The mortality rate for hemorrhagic fever is about 5 percent.

About 100 million people worldwide become infected with dengue fever every year, especially in Africa and tropical regions of the Western Hemisphere. The disease is more common in Southeast Asia, where children are particularly susceptible.

As with most viruses, there is no specific treatment for dengue fever. Doctors recommend acetaminophen, large number fluids and rest. Hospitalization is indicated in the presence of hemorrhagic fever. On the territory Russian Federation Cases of dengue fever are exclusively imported.

Flaviviruses, the causative agents of yellow fever, are common among primates in Africa and South America. Like dengue, this disease is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, especially the yellow fever species.

The virus incubates in the body for three to six days until infected person starts to show general symptoms infections - fever, chills, headache and nausea. There may be a short remission during the course of the disease before the disease returns with much more severe symptoms such as nosebleed, hemorrhagic vomiting and abdominal pain.

Case fatality rates range from 15 to 50 percent.

While there is no cure for yellow fever, vaccination against the infection is available for people living or traveling in climates where the disease is common. It doesn't exist in Russia.

Chikungunya

Chikungunya is caused by a virus that spreads to humans through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes.

The incubation period is usually 3-7 days, and symptoms may include sudden fever, joint pain with or without swelling, chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, lower back pain and rash.

There is currently no vaccine to prevent this disease. Treatment is purely symptomatic, aimed at relieving symptoms of fever and pain. The disease occurs in Africa, but the first case was recorded in America in 2014. Not yet found in Russia.

Our readers often ask - why are mosquitoes dangerous for dogs? Of all the diseases listed above, dogs can be affected by the West Nile virus, but for the regions of Russia it is not yet terrible. However, mosquitoes can transmit another serious disease to animals that is not dangerous to humans - heartworm disease, or heartworm disease.

Surprisingly, most individuals of the mosquito family feed on flower nectar or plant sap. But there are also representatives, more precisely, representatives of the species, whose oral apparatus is adapted for piercing skin mammals. Everyone knows that only female mosquitoes bite - the blood of a person or animal allows them to accumulate vital forces to deposit more fertilized eggs. In addition, blood glucose in warm-blooded species allows females to accumulate the necessary energy for more active reproduction.

How a mosquito finds its prey

Insects of this species prefer to live in damp, even swampy places. During the day they are in a state decreased activity, but with the coming of twilight they come to life and go in search of victims. Female mosquitoes find their victims based on one of the following factors:

The mosquito that has bitten you, first of all, injects an anticoagulant into the wound, the action of which is aimed at preventing blood clotting. It is this substance that causes itching at the site of the bite, which can sometimes reach allergic manifestations to varying degrees gravity.

Video “Why do they bite”

From the video you will learn why mosquitoes can bite.

What diseases are carried

Mosquitoes are carriers of many diseases, which can sometimes cause significant harm to health. The causative agent of such diseases enters the blood healthy body from a patient, and is transmitted by mosquitoes through a bite. Mosquitoes are carriers of many diseases, but several of them are the most common in our latitudes. What diseases do mosquitoes carry? You will find the answer to this question below.

Malaria

Lymphatic filariasis

The disease is helminthic infestation organism, which is widely distributed in the countries of Asia, Africa and South America. Intensive development tourism business, sadly, can cause significant harm to people: tourists arriving from “dangerous” regions in terms of morbidity can be unwitting carriers of infection. It is noteworthy that mosquitoes are capable of transmitting the causative agent of this disease – the filaria nematode.

The complexity of the disease cannot be underestimated - the number of fatal cases is quite high.

Tularemia

This disease affects the lymph nodes and is characterized by fever and intoxication. The carriers of the infection are wild animals, therefore, it can be contracted from ordinary mosquitoes; these insects are the carriers of the pathogen.
Of course, a transmitted microorganism can also reach a person through another transit - from ticks or as a result of cutting up a killed animal, but most often it is mosquitoes that cause harm to our health. Tularemia is a very dangerous disease: in some regions of our country, which are particularly favorable conditions for the pathogen, even vaccination of the population is provided.

West Nile fever

Another one for sure dangerous illness, which can be contracted from a simple mosquito bite. Carriers of the infection are birds and rodents, but to be able to get into human body, the virus requires transit through an insect.
The course of the disease is characterized mass destruction mucous surfaces and intoxication. The patient has a fever and is characterized by a state of weakness.

Yellow Fever, or amaryllosis

This disease, which causes irreparable harm to health, refers exclusively to the list of diseases mosquitoes carry. Is it possible to get infected with it in another way? Certainly not. The disease is severe and is accompanied by high temperature body and bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract.

Can small blood-sucking insects cause a serious illness, which in many cases leads to the death of the patient? Sadly, maybe. And although medicine does not stand still, the ailments that people suffer from due to mosquitoes are not decreasing. Take care of yourself.

Video “What diseases do insects carry”

From the video you will learn what diseases flying insects carry.

The lifespan of mosquitoes depends on temperature and habitat characteristics, nutrition and gender. Adult male mosquitoes feed on nectar from flowering plants. Females need animal or human blood to breed. Without this, too weak offspring will appear from the fertilized eggs, and the female herself will most likely die. Sated with blood, she will give birth to strong offspring and will live.

Surprisingly, mosquitoes live longer at lower air temperatures. Duration life cycle For a female mosquito, from egg to adult, at an average daily ambient temperature of about 25ºC, it will take 42 days. When the temperature is 10ºC, the mosquito can live 115 days. In any case, the life of a male is 2 times shorter. Mosquitoes live the same amount of time after a bite; their life is not shortened. True, this does not take into account accidental death from frogs, fish, fumigators, insecticides and disgruntled people.

Increased nutrition also increases the mosquito's lifespan. In one night, the mosquito bites 6-8 times. 2-3 mosquitoes flying into a room can easily cause itching all over your body.

Who do they prefer to bite more often?

Why don't mosquitoes bite everyone? Mosquitoes bite almost everyone. However, you probably noticed that the mosquitoes that flew into the room bit the child more strongly, while others were hardly touched. There is an explanation for this. Children's skin is delicate and thin, so it is easier to bite through it, the capillaries are located closer to the surface, and the metabolism is faster than that of an adult. Therefore, the child is an easy prey.

Female mosquitoes are attracted to the smell of lactic acid from human sweat and exhaled carbon dioxide. They like the smell of steroids, cholesterol and nonanal. This occurs in fat people and patients with cardiovascular diseases. Another preference is those who have high level testosterone or estrogens. The risk group for bites includes: strong men and pregnant women.

Bloodsuckers react to warm-blooded creatures, so they choose people who are hotter to the touch. This may be why people with malaria are bitten more often by mosquitoes.

Insects do not like the smell coming from people taking cholesterol-lowering medications. In some cases, mosquitoes are attracted to the scent of face and hand cream, hair balm or aftershave.

What might be the reaction to a bite?

There are more than 3,000 species of mosquitoes in the world, and up to 100 species can live in one country. In the city you are bitten by some species, but while walking in the forest, in the mountains or while relaxing near a pond - completely different ones. Even one person's reaction to mosquito bites varies. The bite of some insects goes away on its own within 1-2 days, causing only slight itching and redness. However, the traces from others do not go away for more than a week and every day they torment more and more. Sometimes you can’t recover without a special remedy.

Itching, redness and swelling of the skin after a mosquito bite is explained by an allergic reaction to the insect's saliva. The mosquito introduces it after it pierces the human skin with its proboscis. Therefore, it is not entirely correct to say that a mosquito bites; rather, it bores or pierces the skin. Saliva provides pain relief and prevents blood from clotting while it is sucked out. Itching begins after the insect flies away. In children and allergic people, the reaction to this foreign protein is stronger, which is why swelling, itching, blisters and even suppuration are observed.

A mosquito bite is not so harmless. Sometimes, under special weather conditions, individuals from neighboring regions may appear. As a result, a mosquito bite can turn out to be serious illness or even anaphylactic shock. If you or your child suddenly has a sharp rise in temperature, enlarged lymph nodes, weakness and headache, unexplained drowsiness and rash appear, it is better to call a doctor so as not to miss the symptoms dangerous diseases- malaria, fever, etc.

What to do to prevent mosquitoes from biting you?

If clouds of insects are swarming near your home, it is better to go outside fully prepared. That is, having treated skin and clothing special means, repels mosquitoes. Very often small children are bitten, so when walking with a child, you need to throw gauze or a special net impregnated with repellent based on IR3535 or vegetable essential oils- geranium, cloves, anise, eucalyptus and lavender. If you are going on a picnic with your baby, a repellent based on DEET with a concentration of the main substance of no more than 1% is allowed. The tent and mosquito canopy are treated with the same solution or spray. It is dangerous to apply any products to children's skin due to a possible allergic reaction.

1. To avoid attracting mosquitoes, you should not wear sweet-smelling perfumes while walking or on a country trip.
2. In the evening and at night, do not open windows without mosquito nets.
3. Even on the doorway it is better to hang a thin curtain.
4. Do not turn on a lot of light in the room, because... mosquitoes fly towards the light.
5. Remember that in the forest and near the swamp there are significantly more mosquitoes, so the repellent protection should be stronger.
6. To protect children from mosquitoes, you need to choose clothes that cover the skin on their arms and legs as much as possible.
7. The outer surface of clothing should be treated with an age-appropriate insect repellent.
8. Exposed areas of the skin of a child over 1 year old can be smeared with cream, gel, milk or balm with a repellent. But make sure that the little one does not lick the skin or put his fingers in his mouth, because... he may get poisoned. Apply a small amount of the new product to a small area of ​​skin ahead of time to see if you are allergic to the repellent.
9. To protect children while walking, you can wear a special bracelet against insect bites - Bags lock. If the baby does not want to wear a bracelet or tries to chew it, you can stick a mosquito repellent patch, MAGIKOPlast, on the stroller or clothes. Some products indicate that they can be used by pregnant and nursing mothers.
10. In the room where he sleeps infant, there must be mosquito nets on the windows. Install a special mosquito net over the crib.
11. If the baby is nevertheless bitten by insects, quickly treat the bite sites with Fenistil-gel or other available means.

How to treat mosquito bites?

Treatment mosquito bites may include the use of antihistamines.

Needed here medical consultation, since it is important to take into account the age and tendency of the victim to allergies.

To reduce itching, swelling and redness, you can use:

1. Creams based on arnica and calendula.
2. Antihistamine tablets and syrups (Zodak, Erius, Suprastin, Diazolin, etc.), ointments (Psilo-balm) and gels (Fenistil-gel).
3. Homeopathic remedies.
4. Hormonal drugs in the form of a cream (Hydrocortisone, Prednisolone, etc.).
5. Special pencils for insect bites - OFF, Gargex, My Sun.

A mosquito bite is an unpleasant thing, and sometimes dangerous. Mosquitoes also bite sick people, and then spread the infection to healthy people. Doctors rarely associate a disease accompanied by high fever, rash, headache and enlarged lymph nodes, with insect bites. A person gets worse and worse, and sometimes he simply does not live to see the performance. correct diagnosis, so it is important to protect yourself from mosquito bites.