Newspaper Reports on Spiral Whitefly Invasion

Last week, the Palm Beach Post ran a story on the Rugose spiraling whitefly invasion (Whiteflies hit Palm Beach County homeowners’ trees, plants, pools, Aug. 16, 2012). If you’re a regular reader of this blog, then you knew about the Rugose spiraling whitefly more than two weeks earlier (The Spiral Whitefly Invasion – A New Pest in Town, Aug. 1). We don’t want to brag about our timeliness; the Post certainly has more resources than us. But, it does beg the question (with apologies to Ghostbusters):

If there's somethin' strange in your yard
Who ya gonna call? (Insect Pest Control)
If it's somethin' weird an it don't look good
Who ya gonna call? (Insect Pest Control)

Mosquitoes Are Itching To Get You

Contrary to popular belief, neither Lemon Fresh Joy® nor Listerine® will keep mosquitos from bothering you. Neither will used dryer sheets stuffed in your pockets. In addition, there is no scientific evidence that eating garlic, vitamins, onions or any other food will make a person repellent to mosquitoes, or that wearing devices that emit sound will repeal mosquitoes. Keep reading to find out what does work.

For the Female Is More Deadly Than the Male

As adults, both male and female mosquitoes feed on sugars from plants and other insects that feed on plant sugars. This is the only source of nutrition for males; they do not feed on blood. The females use the sugar meals for energy and the blood meals for egg development. She doesn’t actually bite but stabs by piercing her proboscis, which is a tubular appendage, and drinks between 0.0001 and 0.01 milliliters. She’ll continue to bite and draw blood until her abdomen is full. If she’s interrupted before she’s finished, she’ll fly on to the next person. The bumps and itch left on your skin after a mosquito has bitten you are an allergic reaction to mosquito saliva. The reaction can vary from person to person, but usually lasts no more than 24 hours.