From 'Insect' to Ridsect

After coming back from work today, being post-call and all, the first thing that I wanted to do was to just rest my head on the bed to catch up with my sleep. My stomach was growling of hunger, but my priority was still sleep...

Anyway, while I was dozing off, I felt this tingling sensation over my right arm. I turned my head to my right and saw an 'insect' in the inner part of my blouse. Thought it was ant or a bug, so I attempted to catch/crush it with my hand (I was wearing a long sleeved blouse). After grabbing hold of it, it suddenly stopped moving, so I thought the 'insect' was dead. I was just too tired so I didn't bother to change my clothes, and so dozed off after a few seconds.

And then, suddenly I felt it again. A cold, ticklish sensation over my arm. That 'insect' was still moving... I looked at it harder, through my white blouse, and I shrieked when I realize what it was! It was a.........

.................................
..................................

LIZARD! A baby cicak!

UUURrghhhhh......Yucks!! Disgusting!

I jumped out from my bed, shrugged my body and shoulders, and the lizard fell to the floor..and worse part was that a part of its tail got stuck to my inner sleeve and the rest of the lizard...was gasping for air on the floor of my bedroom. Really!


While the lizard was taking its last few breaths, the next thing I did was....

---spray half a can on Ridsect on it! I was scared ok!

Since I was really tired today, being sleep deprived and all, the scary incident did not stop me from sleeping. After disposing the lizard, I slumped on my bed and almost immediately, I was off to dreamland..

Susceptibility to Mosquito Bites

We had a family gathering today and the topic of mosquitos came up. One of my cousins got bitten recently and developed a more severe reaction than expected. She and her niece were the only ones who got bitten by mosquitos at her house and the other family members were spared.

I have always wondered why mosquitos bite some people more than others...

This was what I found out from multiple websites over the net..I managed to get most of my questions answered.

1. Has any research being done?
Yes. Scientists are still investigating the complexities involved. Many of the mosquito's physiological demands are poorly understood and many of the processes they use to evaluate potential blood meal hosts remain a mystery.

Recent research has been undertaken to narrow down the smells that are attractive and repellent to mosquitoes. The research was at first described as similar to looking for a needle in a haystack, but scientists have since managed to track down and identify around 30 chemical compounds out of 300 that can protect people.---> The basis of mosquito repellents.

This is what they use to do study the body odours of people who repel mosquitos...Cool eh? It's called a foil sleeping bag.



2. What/Who are they attracted to?
Female mosquitoes use the CO2 we exhale as their primary cue to our location.

3. Are they attracted to any smells?
Mosquitoes are attracted to the smells of certain people. If a person is rarely bitten, then his or her body gives off a smell that masks the scent that attracts mosquitoes.

Fragrances from hair sprays, perfumes, deodorants, and soap can cover these chemical cues.

4. What about the colour of clothing that we wear?
Dark colors capture heat and make most people more attractive to mosquitoes. Light colors refract heat and are generally less attractive. Detergents, fabric softeners, perfumes, and body odor can counteract the effects of color.

5. Since they are blood-suckers, are menstruating women at risk?
Women around the time of thier menstrual period are said to get bitten by mosquitos more than other women.


6. Any particular food that we should avoid in order to prevent ourselves from getting bitten?
People say that mosquitos are attracted to bananas. I couldn't find any literature to support this..Some believe that we should prevent from making our blood 'sweet', so we need to take something that smells terrible like garlic....i don't think this is true!

5. Other interesting facts?
They are drawn to lactic acid in sweat. So mandi!

They are also attracted to people with Group O positive blood. (Based on a research published in the Journal of Medical Entomology)

Mosquitoes prefer warm body parts to cold ones.



Hope u all find this useful!

Reference:
1. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080716222338AA6MKys
2. Mosquitoes' Tricks Still Exceed Remedies, The New York Times

3. http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=32414 (This one's very informative)