Mosquitoes are a nuisance. The female’s bite can cause significant pain and itchiness and they can spread disease. There are several diseases that those in Australia are known to carry such as Japanese encephalitis, Ross River, Barmah Forest, Kunjin, Murray Valley encephalitis, and dengue fever. Protecting yourself is critical. You don’t want to catch any of these illnesses.
In this article, we’ll be discussing how you can protect yourself using mosquito patches. We will also be looking at the behaviour of mosquitoes and their lifecycle to better understand why they bite and what can be done to protect you.
Understanding Mosquitoes
To protect ourselves from this flying, biting pest, we must first understand more about the mosquito. Here is some information about the insect.
Where do Mosquitoes Live?
There are populations of mosquitoes living throughout Australia, however, there are large concentrations on the East and West coasts, especially where there are lots of people. They tend to live where there are still or slow-flowing bodies of water nearby. They use these bodies of water to deposit eggs where their young develop into adult forms.
The mosquito is also particularly short-lived. The adult males will live for only 10 days, during which time they feed on nectar. The females feed on blood as well as nectar. They can live for up to 56 days.
The mosquito life cycle is in four stages. These four stages are described below.
Stage One: Eggs
The first stage is the egg stage. The egg stage lasts for about two days. The female will lay about 200 eggs at a time, several times. These eggs are laid near the surface of water or on very damp soil.
Stage Two: Larval Stage
The free-swimming larval stage is the first stage of life. Young will tend to stick close to the surface of the water, using a syphon tube to breathe. There are four growth stages during this period before they can cocoon. The larval, also known as wigglers, can survive in a wide range of conditions from freshwater to saltwater. The only condition they don’t like is fast-moving water. Larval is also food for many Australian fish.
Stage Three: Papal Stage
The pupal stage is when mosquitoes are in a non-feeding stage. The larvae are transforming into their adult, flying stage. The transformation lasts for about two days, though certain conditions can lengthen/shorten the transformation period.
Stage Four: Adult
Once ready, the adult will emerge. At first, they’re very tired and their exoskeleton will need time to harden and their wings time to try and expand. This can take a little while. Once this is done, the adult will fly. Males will immediately seek a female to mate with.
Why Do Only the Females Bite?
It is only the female mosquitoes that bite humans and drink blood. This is because they need additional protein in their diet to help them produce healthy eggs. But females also live more than five times the length of males, which means there can be a high number of female mosquitoes in an area compared to males. Therefore, you shouldn’t assume that a mosquito is a male, treat any like they could be a female.
What are Mosquito Patches?
Mosquito patches are small patches that can be attached to you or your clothing that help to repel mosquitoes from you. They contain lots of naturally occurring fragrances that can block the receptors of mosquitoes so that they can’t detect you.
These patches can work for several hours but will need to be regularly replaced. There are numerous names that you might find for these patches which include mosquito repellent patches, mosquito bite patches, mozzie bite patches, or bite patches. They are sold in numerous supermarkets, but getting them directly from a supplier often means that they’re more effective as they’ve had less time to degrade.
Do Mosquito Patches Work?
Yes, mosquito patches are known to be very effective in not just keeping mosquitoes from biting you or your family, but also keeping them away from you, which can also be annoying. They not only stop mosquitoes. The same odours and smells that are used to block mosquitoes are known to also prevent other biting insects from troubling you.
Therefore, they can be effective. For best results, you must replace them regularly. You should also ensure that you wear one at night when mosquitoes are more active. You might also want to wear one when going on long hikes or spending time near any body of water, which is a favourite habitat of the mosquito.
Are There Mosquito Patches For Kids?
Yes, you can buy mosquito patches for kids, mosquito patches for infants, and mosquito patches for babies. These can be a good way to protect younger members of your family who are going to be affected more by bites because they find it hard to resist the urge to scratch the bite areas.
There are special ones for kids, but some adult versions might also work. Always read the label before applying a mosquito repellent patch.
Are They Cost Effective?
As a short-term repellent, mosquito patches are a cost-effective solution. But they are best for those who are visiting areas of mosquitoes. If you live near an area where you get mosquitoes, you might prefer to get other treatments to work alongside the mosquito patch.
When talking about long-term solutions, the patches might not be as cost-effective. But when living in an area where there are high levels of mosquito populations, you might need to add several solutions to ensure that you don’t get bitten.
Final Word: Using Mosquito Patches to Protect You
Mosquito patches are an effective solution to help protect you from bites from the flying insect. They are affordable, easy to apply, and offer protection to you and your family. Even those close to a person wearing one, when they aren’t wearing one, might be afforded some protection from the mosquito bite.
