What's Up With Those Mosquitoes? Quiz

Answer: Spanish/Portuguese word for "little fly"

Although any one of these definitions might be appropriate, the word is of Spanish/Portuguese origin. There are almost 4,000 species of this little pest, and the infectious diseases they carry kill millions of people annually.

Answer: Two weeks

Unless you want to keep the female as a pet, it will cycle through its four stages of life in 28 days maximum. Its first 3 stages will take 5-14 days. Its final stage, adulthood, will last another 14 days. In captivity, the last stage of the adult female's life can last up to one month.

Answer: Carbon dioxide, breath and sweat

The mosquito will fly around randomly until it picks up on one of these triggers. Then it zeroes in like a smart bomb.

Answer: False

The New Jersey Mosquito Control Association, an organization that has been in the mosquito control business since 1913, states that the HIV virus that causes AIDS in people does not develop in mosquitoes. Don't relax, though. The mosquito is still responsible for transmitting many deadly diseases to its human prey: encephalitis, yellow fever, dengue fever and malaria are spread by this insect and cause millions of deaths annually.

Answer: True

While scientists are still working out the details, they've proved that the genetic make-up of a particular human determines 85% of his/her susceptibility to mosquitoes. Folic acid and dark colors have all been cited as being very attractive to mosquitoes, but only the mosquito knows for sure.

Answer: de Havilland

Introduced to the war effort in 1941, the de Havilland Mosquito was extensively used by the RAF. Hermann Goring, head of the German Luftwaffe, was quoted as saying: "It makes me furious when I see the Mosquito. I turn green and yellow with envy." The bulk of this plane was made of laminated plywood which led to its being affectionately nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder" by its crews.

Answer: An ultralight aircraft

The mosquito helicopter is an ultralight, personal helicopter which can be built from a kit. Mosquito Aviation, the firm that offers these kits for purchase, claims that the Mosquito comes as close possible to "real" flying (think "bird") with virtually no means of support.

It's powered by a two-cycle, two-cylinder engine that weights 69 pounds. Its maximum speed is 70 mph and only five gallons of gas fills its tank.

Answer: A geranium that repels mosquitoes

The mosquito plant is a genetically-engineered geranium that repels mosquitoes. Created by a Dutch botanist, characteristics of the citronella grass (which mosquitoes intensely dislike) were bred into the geranium. If you crush a leaf and rub it on your skin, not only will you smell sweet, but the mosquito population will find you repellent. It's a win-win!

Answer: A fleet of small gunboats used by the US Navy in the War of 1812

Joshua Barney, a US Navy Commodore who served in the War of 1812, was a ship-builder as well as a sailor. He converted a fleet of 18 barges and scows into gunboats that carried cannon along with a crew of 503 men. While this rag-tag fleet couldn't hope to sink the British warships, they tormented and annoyed the warships with their hit-and-run tactics.

When the Commodore wanted his men to attack the enemy, he would order "Sails and Oars" and his fearless band of bargemen charge!

Answer: Unit of the British army during WW II

Its full name was the Long Range Desert Group and it specialized in reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering. It was organized as a unit of the British army and was disbanded at the end of the war. Head of the LRDG, General Archibald Wavell, gave them the Mosquito Army nickname. Because they operated deep within enemy lines and never hesitated to carry out strikes against the enemy, they were a major problem for the Germany army. Field Marshall Rommell, the "Desert Fox", complained that: "The LRDG caused us more damage than any other unit of their size."