Nasty insect mosquito sitting on her hand and drinks the blood of the pierced skin. [File, Standard]

Mosquitoes exist for as far back as 400 million years ago, as old as dinosaurs.

They are the deadliest animals on Earth. More deaths are associated with mosquitoes than any other animal on the planet.

A single malarial mosquito can infect more than 100 people.

Their food is not blood. It actually consists of nectar and other plant juices. Only female mosquitoes bite, when they are pregnant. Female mosquitoes will obtain blood from humans and animals only to nourish their eggs.

“Anopheles”, is a Greek word that translates into “good for nothing”. It is the only species of mosquitoes known to carry malaria.

Mosquitoes don’t see very well. They ‘see’ you by using heat alone. Their eyes have what is called thermal-sensory vision.

They also have 47 teeth-like hooks for gathering blood.

They fly at amazingly slow speeds, making them one of the slowest flying insects.

Mosquitoes love some people more than others. They can detect carbon dioxide which humans and other animals produce as well as lactic acid from our sweats.

Bigger people are often more attractive to mosquitoes because they are larger targets. Same applies to people with the O blood group.

You’re also more likely to be bitten by mosquitoes if you eat bananas.

A single female can lay 100-300 eggs at a time, up to 1,000-3,000 in her lifetime. These eggs can survive for more than five years!

Do you itch when a mosquito bites you? That’s because as the mosquito is taking a blood meal, she’s also injecting her saliva to get the blood flowing. Most people have a reaction which causes itching.

You only feel the bite of the mosquito only after it has finished its job and gone.

A raindrop hitting a mosquito is like a human being hit by a bus! Yet it is able to attach itself to the raindrop and just ride it downwards. Then it is careful enough to break away from the drop before it splashes into the ground.