Sundown All Around
EEEEEEEEE! Slap! Twack! Twock! Ahh….!
These are common sounds heard throughout Malaysian homes from sundown.
In spite of our best endeavours to keep homes mosquito-free, they still lurk. Tropical Malaysia teems with insects, after all.
Mosquito, Where?
Popular nesting spots for mosquitoes are literally everywhere outside and in houses, gardens, parks, mountains, and even transport systems – these are common itchy situations. The London Underground, for instance, once played home to mosquitoes! And apparently, they sometimes used the lift and enjoyed living the skyscraper-life, too!
Mosquitoes are also found in abundance at construction sites, abandoned housing projects, and anywhere stagnating water pools.
They are basically everywhere… and always around you!
Mosquito, Be Gone!
Of all the insects around us, the one on the top of the most hated list, has to be the mosquito.
Malaysians are, after all, clued on to the dangers they pose. Hence, keeping them at bay has become second nature to us, even from a very young age.
The main reason we loathe them lies in the fact that some species carry life-threatening diseases.
The Zika virus, for instance, is a mosquito-borne disease. The Aedes Aegypti mosquito is responsible for the deadly dengue virus, which has reached epidemic proportions in Malaysia. This mosquito is easily identified by the black and white stripes across its body. In fact, some people refer to it as the “tiger mosquito”.
Scratching Gives You…
In spite of all our precautions, bites happen.
If we are fortunate, we may escape with just one bite. More often than not, mosquitoes do not feed alone. Victims may find their bodies peppered with itchy, red bites. The more you scratch, the itchier it gets!
While scratching may be ‘syiok’, the relief is only temporary. Yes, temporary! Plus, in the frenzy of scratching, it is easy to damage the skin surrounding the area – adding to the rawness of the wound.
Before you know it, impetigo occurs and kids especially are at risk.
Ouch!
Unveiled Facts From The Unknown World
We had the chance to have a long conversation with a few mosquito specialists. Since mosquitoes are bountiful in Malaysia, we thought of giving you the low-down on them with a little mosquito trivia fun. Forewarned is forearmed, after all. Let’s start!
Oh! Just to remind you, do not bring your kids along! Or your they just might get…
Fact #1: The Reason We Don’t Notice The Bite
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An esthesia
Stinging bites by insects, deliver venom into your skin. Such bites can be painful, or itchy. When a bite is terribly itchy, scratching to relieve the itch can worsen the inflamed area.
Mosquito bites, however, do not deliver venom to its victims. Rather, they deposit a load of saliva into your skin. Their saliva contains an anti-coagulant, which enables them to feed at will. It is the anti-coagulant which triggers an allergic response in our bodies. It can take about 3 minutes before we start to itch. By that time, the mosquito is long gone.
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A Mechanical Wonder – Seven Mouths
If you could put aside your revulsion for a minute, you may be fascinated to know that the proboscis of a mosquito is a mechanical wonder.
Each proboscis has a total of seven specially designed spears, which work in tandem to extract blood from our bodies.
Two spears work as saws to cut through your skin. This is followed by the insertion of another two spears, which act as knives, well placed within the initial cut, to pry it open. Immediately after, another spear pumps in saliva, which contains an anti-coagulant to stop the blood from clotting. Then, the last spear, akin to a straw, draws out your blood.
The whole bite, which takes seconds, is executed with surgical precision. In a blink of an eye, they are gone.
Fact #2: Females Ahead
If you are bitten by a mosquito, it would be a female.
Male mosquitoes are strictly vegetarian, like the one in the picture above. The females need blood as nutrition for reproduction. All the more reason to make sure they do not bite you, or there will be more to fend off, in time.
Mosquitoes are hardy insects. They only need a little bit of water, about 1cc, in order to reproduce.
While they do have a short life cycle of about a month, if conditions are optimum, they breed like crazy.
Fact #3: Zooming In On You
When the pickings are sparse, mosquitoes will zoom in on anyone.
They do, however, have preferences. Here are a few of them so you can up the ante, when out, and about.
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CO2, We Love You!
Mosquitoes love CO2.
They can zoom in on anyone working up a sweat, and expending greater amounts of carbon dioxide through their exertions. In fact, if you would like to check it out, just leave a piece of dry ice outside, and watch them gather.
If you like to exercise, be reminded that mosquitoes love it when you do as it is easy for them to zoom in on you!
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Body Heat = Mosquito Magnet
Other than CO2, mosquitoes have in-built heat-seeking capabilities.
If your body temperature is higher than normal, you can be sure they will seek you out.
While exercise is the most common way to have elevated temperature readings, expectant mums, children, or those who tipple, fall into this category.
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Black Is A Favourite
Yes, mosquitoes love the colour black!
Wear black, and you will be a magnet for them. Other than black, they also exhibit a preference for darker colours. If you would like to avoid them, choose white, or lighter-coloured clothes.
Hey! Before you continue reading, take a break and come back for more mosquito fun!
Not to worry, mummies!
Since babies do not have a fully developed immune system, and their bodies have not accumulated learned experiences, they generally do not react to mosquito bites as we do, which means they do not feel itchy or have reddish patches on their skin! Apart from newborns, our golden seniors, as they progressively age, also become desensitised to mosquito bites. Maybe because, with experiences, they end up knowing they do not have to react. Huge respect!
Fact #4: They Are On 24/7/365
Mosquitoes come out in swarms at sunset. But that does not mean they only feed then.
Mosquitoes are opportunists.
They feed when they can, and that includes daytime, too. Take a hike in the jungle, walk through a garden, stand near a lake, or even a drain, and one might alight on you.
Keep your guard up! They are monitoring you all day long.
Fact #5: They Must Be Watching The Weather Forecast
To understand the mechanics of mosquito behaviour, these conditions below may surprise, and amuse you.
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Some Like It Hot
Believe it or not, mosquitoes are active when the surrounding temperature hovers over 20°C. Anything lower than 18°C practically immobilises them.
Though they like it hot, they cannot stand it when it is too hot.
If you are keen to spot them in heat, try looking at the back of leafy greens, where they can be found nestling while waiting out the blazing heat.
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Blown Away
Female mosquitoes may be ravenous, but they are tiny. With such light bodies, they lack power to fight against wind speed. When gusting winds blow, you are safe from their bites.
Hey! Before you continue reading, take a break and come back for more mosquito fun!
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Run Like The Wind
Avid hikers always attest that they get bitten when they slow down, or stop to guzzle liquids to slake their thirst. To avoid bites, you need to keep moving. If you really must stop, try to keep moving your arms, so that mosquitoes find it hard to alight.
Anything moving slower than that, is fair game.
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They Cannot Stand The Rain
Mosquitoes cannot fly in torrential rain, since their bodies are tiny. The continuous pounding of heavy rainfall is akin to having bricks fall on them.
If rainfall is not torrential, they probably have better luck negotiating falling droplets, much like a plastic bag flying between moving vehicles.
Expect ravenous swarms after rainfall. Be prepared with MOPIKO!
Fact #6: All You Need Is MOPIKO
We hope you enjoyed reading our mosquito trivia. And we believe you are forearmed now. Oh, just one more thing to arm yourself with… Yes, you know it: It’s MOPIKO!
Nothing soothes and eases like MOPIKO!
MOPIKO – Time-Proven Aid
From itchy agony to a scratchy patch, is there any solution out there to ease our discomfort quickly?
Look no further than to that trusty tube of MOPIKO, mums!
Having been around for generations, MOPIKO has been the trusted solution for itchy bites, the world over. Our parents swore by it, as did our grandparents, before them.
It was way back in 1926 when its first formulation was produced by a company called MUHI, which is located in Japan.
Interestingly, MUHI translated into English means ‘incomparable’. MOPIKO was its translation in Cantonese since Hong Kong was MOPIKO’s first export market outside Japan.
In 1963, MOPIKO landed on Malaysian shores.
To fine tune this incomparable product, the company possesses “Mosquito Breeding Room” and “Artificial Weather Room” in their laboratory to reduce itchy situations in all over the world. Researchers work tirelessly to study mosquitoes, and use research findings to improve formulations products.
Finally, our journey in the Unknown World of Mosquitoes has come to an end. With the guide of our awesome mosquito specialists, we hope you have learned a thing or two about this flying foe. But if you want keep in touch with them and know more about what makes mosquitoes tick, follow them on MOPIKO’s official Facebook page now!