Bugged by mosquitoes at night, I bought some spray which smells badly
and doesn't work, while I ran out of lotion which used to work but
it's kind of a hassle to put it on every night, and I can't buy it
here anyway. Zappers supposedly only attract the little pests and my
mosquito net is sub-optimal at best.
In short I wonder; what's the average life span of a mosquito and why
do I get a new one soon every time I kill one (are they territorial?),
what are effective ways of squatting them (does cigarette smoke fog
their sight?), do I have reasons not to kill them (Buddhism?), how
often does one bite (and where do they prefer to bite?), and -- this
one really puzzles me -- why did evolution make their bites so itchy,
since that seems to only increase the likeliness of "them"
being killed by "us"... finally, do mosquitoes ever get to sleep at
night (and quid pro quo are they annoyed by constant human humming
sound)?
I welcome any answer to one or more of these, that does either amuse
or inform, of both philosophic or factual nature.

Hi j_philipp-ga! 

Welcome to Mosquito 101.

1. Average Lifespan of a Mosquito:

“Between predators and extreme weather events such as drought and
harsh rains, most mosquitoes live for an average of about two weeks in
their adult form. If they manage to escape predators, females from
some mosquito species live to about two to three months of age.”

2. Why do they Bite?

“Only female mosquitoes bite. Female mosquitoes require a blood meal
to acquire the protein needed to produce eggs.”

3. Why do mosquitoes seem to bite some people, but not others?

“Mosquitoes are attracted by the carbon dioxide that we - and other
animals - exhale. They may also be attracted by various odors -
perfume, perspiration, lactic acid, detergents - that combine in
unique ways to make one victim more attractive than another as a
meal.”

4. Why do mosquitoes bites itch and swell?

“The itching, swelling, and burning from a mosquito bite are actually
caused by the body's autoimmune response to the saliva injected by the
mosquito when she feeds.”

So the swelling is not actually the fault of the mosquito but by our
own body system.

5. Where do mosquitoes breed?

They breed in areas where there is standing water like swamps or even
in flower pots.

“Mosquito Control and West Nile Virus”
http://westnilevirus.nbii.gov/mosquitoes.html 

6. Why do I get a new one soon every time I kill one?

“One female mosquito may lay 100 to 300 eggs at a time and may average
1,000 to 3,000 offsprings during her life span.”

“A mosquito develops from egg to adulthood in 4 to 7 days.”

7. Are they territorial?

Yes! They don’t like to travel much.

“Most mosquitoes remain within a 1 mile radius of their breeding
site.”

“Mosquito Facts”
http://www.control-mosquitoes.com/#mf6 

8. Why shouldn’t I kill mosquitoes?

On a religious standpoint:

“Like Buddhists elsewhere, the Buddhists in Myanmar believe that all
living beings are subject to the sufferings of birth, disease, old age
and death, the pain of separation from loved ones and the pain of
being together with those one does not love.”

“Thus Buddhists are seldom cruel to animals, and devout Buddhists will
even refuse to swat a fly or a mosquito.”

“Religion & Culture”
http://www.myanmar.com/gov/tourist/rel.htm 

There also ecological reasons why you shouldn’t kill mosquitoes.

a. “…one good thing male mosquitoes do is eat honeydew. Honeydew is
the sticky stuff that covers many trees and the area around them in
the summertime.”

b. “…baby mosquitoes make great fish food. In fact, you generally will
not find mosquito larvae in places where fish or frogs live.”

c. “…the adults make good bird food. And bat food. And food for other
insects, such as dragonflies.”

“What good things do mosquitoes do?”
http://www.wsu.edu/DrUniverse/mosq.html

9. “Do mosquitoes ever get to sleep at night?”

Generally no. Mosquitoes are by nature nocturnal creatures.

“Most mosquito species are either nocturnal or crepuscular and remain
relatively inactive during the daylight hours.”

“Natural resting sites for mosquitoes include dense vegetation, animal
bur-rows, caves, and tree holes. Basements, stables, chicken coops,
and culverts are examples of man-made structures harboring large
diurnal populations of resting mosquitoes.”

“RESTING BOXES AS MOSQUITO SURVEILLANCE TOOLS”
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/restbox.htm 

10. Some myths about mosquitoes.

“Mechanical traps such as ultraviolet "bug zappers" or devices that
repel using ultrasonic sound waves do not meet advertisers claims. In
fact, bug zappers attract few mosquitoes and may actually kill
beneficial insect predators, so they should not be used for mosquito
reduction. Natural products such as citronella plants, clove oil,
peppermint or diet supplements such as garlic or vitamins claim to
repel mosquitoes but there is no scientific evidence to support such
claims.”

“Mosquito Myths”
http://www.fvhd.org/community/mosquito9.htm 

10. Here are some tips to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.

“How to Prevent Mosquito Breeding”
http://www.mosquitobuzz.com/control/mosquitoprevention.html 

If you want to know more about these pesky little things, you could
visit the following websites.

“How Mosquitoes Work”
http://www.howstuffworks.com/mosquito.htm/printable 

AMCA Homepage
http://www.mosquito.org/ 

Search terms used:        
mosquito facts nocturnal prevention myths
   
I hope you enjoyed this research and it was useful to you. Before
rating this answer, please ask for a clarification if you have a
question or if you would need further information.
       
Thanks for visiting us.       
       
Regards,       
Easterangel-ga       
Google Answers Researcher

---

Clarification of Answer by easterangel-ga on 13 Feb 2003 06:28 PST

Thanks for the nice rating and for the tip!

Very complete, thanks a bunch!

I remember seeing a machine on television that supposedly does a
fantastic job of curbing mosquitoes.  I think it was on 20/20 or 60
Minutes.  The machine emits CO2 and a chemical called Octenol that
supposedly attract the little buggers and sucks them into a trap.  As
I remember, the machine was field tested by the show (I'm certain it
was not an infomercial, it was a legitimate news program), and it did
in fact reduce significantly the number of mosquitoes within a given
radius of the machine (about one acre).  The machines themselves are
rather expensive, but they are supposed to work quite well.

You can see the machines here: http://www.mosquitobiotrap.com/ 

Good luck with the little nuisances.  I too am a favorite victim of
mosquitoes but fortunately I live in an area with relatively few of
them.

- ddelphi

Dear j_philipp-ga, I also have that bug love-hate thing. They love to
bug me and I hate it!

For some reason, mosquitoes didn't bug me too much last summer, not
that I remember in any case.

Maybe this is because of the story a friend of mine told me. Here it
is.

                               *  *  *

Once upon a time, many years ago, he was being bugged by mosquitoes. 

He was in India, living in a small house beside the Ganges, and there
were a lot of mosquitoes.

He only had the use of one arm at the time so it was difficult for him
to put the anti-mosquito ointment on all over his body. So it looked
like he was in trouble.

However, he was in India. And in India there is a God for everything,
he says.

So he prayed to the God for mosquitoes, and asked him to sort the
problem out for him. And from that day to this, he has not been
troubled by the critturs!

I've lived in an area infested of mosquitos (lots of trees and a
river) in Mexico all my life. I've never used any sort of repelent or
other stuff.
Eventually (over the course of the years, that is) you get used to
their bite (at least the ones of your area), I no longer get a rash
from a mosquito bite. There are several mosquito races, some are
striped like tigres, others are really small (you might confuse them
with fruit flies) and there are awfully big ones (not to be confused
with the males). The male's wings are more separated, sort of like a
dragonfly, when they're at rest. The females have a more "streamlined"
look, but they'll never get so big as to big confused with males.

Males look awfully intimidating if you don't know they don't bite.

Whenever I go to an area out of my city, I become more vulnerable to
mosquitoes. Beach mosquitoes are particularly nasty.

To sleep with mosquitoes without any other aid there are several
options. One (my most usual) is to cover myself up to the head with a
thick sarape (they can bite through jeans) and choke myself with my
own carbon dioxide. You'll hear them through the covers, but at least
they won't be fooling around your ears. Ventilate ocasionally to
prevent injuries.

Second option: get yourself naked and let them fest on your blood.
Mosquitoes bite only once in 24 hours (or so I heard). I prefer them
biting me than fooling around my face. According to my own experience,
for every 5 mosquitos you "feel" around you, there are other 5 in
other parts ot the room.

Third option: mosquito hunting. This is absolutely necesary if there
are just too many mosquitos for any of the previous options. It's
easier to get them if they're resting on the wall, if they're flying
through the air, try to watch them through a white background (walls)
i.e. I can follow the path of a mosquito through the air on a white
background, but immediately loose it if it's path leads the background
of a door. The "clapping" method is the most effective, but you must
know how to do it. slightly separate your fingers from each other (as
if extending your hand) and when you clap you must let your fingers
intersect each other. The reason why you are extending your fingers is
the displace less air (blow a mosquito and it will fly meters away).
ALWAYS remember you have three dimensions, and it is a frequent
mistake to forget about the floor. Sometimes the fly low.

Mosquitos that have bitten fly low and slow, they're easy prey. You
can even try stepping on them. If blood splurts on your hands, don't
worry, it's most likely your own blood. Hopefully your hands will end
up stained in blood. When they bite they usually find a safe place
near their victim to digest their blood. I've noticed they like the
darkness and humidity of closets. Shake your clothes and there'll be
swarms of lazy and fat mosquitos flying out, these should be easy
prey.

Remember above all to have fun, its not easy waking up in the middle
of the night to do this, but make it your own sport. You can try to
get two mosquitos crossing paths in the air with one clap (my record
is three) or you can count the ammount of mosquitos killed in your
room (record: 82).

One last reccommendation: if your sleeping under your covers with a
small breathing hole, be carefull with your nose. Only twice in my
life I have breathed a mosquito, and I can tell you, it's a
frightening experience. You're falling asleep and it's as if you
recieved an electrical discharge directly on your nose, you blow out
as hard as you can, throw your fists around as if you where fighting
against an invisible enemy, then you furiously rub your nose and then
cry yourself to sleep.

83 mosquitoes? Sounds like you could take it up as profession.
Markin, thanks for the comment. The tip with the separated fingers is great.