SCIENCE: MOSQUITO

I've had a few male mosquitoes as guests in my home lately. I know they're male because they didn't bite me or try to. Only the female mosquito bites. However, you don't have to wait to be bitten to determine the mosquito's sex. Just watching how a mosquito behaves around you will indicate whether it is male or female. The male will fly away from you and will pay more attention to a light on in the room than to you. One in my home this evening took a keen interest in my turned on TV. The male feeds on plant juices. So, unless you've recently sprouted leaves or bloomed you need not worry about a male mosquito biting you. The female will fly toward and then land on you unless you swat her away or kill her-- and we all know what she feeds on. She finds you by the carbon dioxide you exhale and your lactic acid excretion--what makes sweaty gym clothes smell like sour milk. To control the mosquito population prevent mosquito pool parties by draining collected water from tires, buckets, bird baths, trash can lids, flower pots, etc.--everything large and small. Just a little water will do for mosquito breeding. However, unlike your gardenias mosquitoes can never be over-watered. The more, the merrier for them.