Tumpline
Mosquitoes Betcha Didn’t Know…
a b o u t
n Female mosquitoes suck protein-rich blood from mammals and birds to nour- ish their young. Males, mean- while, nibble on flowering plants until they are needed.
n With their wings revving at 400 beats per second, mos- quitoes can cruise at a speed of five kilometres per hour.
n Mosquitoes make frequent meals for fish, bats, birds, frogs, toads, beetles, and spiders.
n Mosquitoes find prey by honing in on wafts of carbon dioxide.
n There are 40,000 mosquitoes for every human being on earth.
n The Mosquito Ultrasonic Teenage Deterrent is a noise- making device used in the United Kingdom to drive away loitering teenagers. The device annoys only teenag- ers by taking advantage of presbycusis, a form of age- related hearing loss in which high frequencies (18-20kHz) become inaudible to people over 20.
n Mosquitoes dislike citronella oil because it irritates their feet.
n It’s typical for a mother mosquito to feed and breed eight times in her lifetime.
Events
AUGUST 8–13 USCA Marathon Nationals Peshtigo, WI
www.uscanoe.com/competition/index. html
AUGUST 23–26
Canadian National Sprint Championships Regina, SK
www.canoekayak.ca
SEPTEMBER 1–4
La Classique de Canots de la Mauricie La Tuque, QC
www.classique.isotech.ca
SEPTEMBER 9–10
Rapid’s Gull River Open Canoe Slalom Minden, ON
www.rapidmedia.com
EVENTS LISTING SPONSORED BY For our full paddling event listings go to
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CANOE ROOTS n 21
n Feeding mosquitoes employ an anticoagulant to thin the blood and keep it flowing. It’s this anticoagulant that causes bites to be itchy.
n Ever a cultural mosaic, Canada is blessed with 74 different species of the pest.
n Mosquito larvae hatch in ponds of snowmelt in April and May across southern Canada, living off of decay- ing vegetation for up to four weeks before taking to the air as the trees bloom.
n In 300 B.C., Aristotle referred to mosquitoes as “empis” in his Historia Animalium where he documented their life cycle and metamorphic abilities.
n The Mosquito Coast (1986) stars Harrison Ford and fol- lows eccentric inventor Allie Fox as he sells his house in the United States and moves his family to Central America to build an ice factory in the jungle. Mosquitoes turn out to be the least of Fox’s worries.
—Conor Mihell
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