Ochlerotatus Taeniorhynchus -- A What???

After a day of running the Intracoastal Waterway, we typically divert up a channel or bayou to anchor for the night. In these secluded anchorages we are out of the waterway traffic. With the anchor down and the engine off everything quiets down. Soon the birds go to roost and as the sun sets the Louisiana skies turn from blue to purple, then to orange, and then finally to a bright crimson red. With the still of the night we soon hear the pitter patter of tiny feet on the “Little Lara's” cabin top. These are not the sounds of “gremlins” (see the "California's Cape Horn" post), but sounds made by Ochlerotatus Taeniorhynchus. These night creatures have been around for over 30 million years. Just so you know that I am not making this stuff up; these beings were know in 1583 to the Spanish as

Peggy hiding below deck

“zancudos," which means "long-legged." They are also common in Europe: the French referring to them as "Les Moucherons", while the Germans called them "Stechmucken". In Scandinavian countries they are called by a variety of names including "myg" and "myyga", and the Greeks called them "konopus." In 300 B.C., Aristotle called them "empis" in his "Historia Animalium" where he documented their life cycle and metamorphic abilities. The Cajuns affectionately refer to them as their “state bird”, though they are not a birds, even if some of them seem to be as large as birds. Typically these long-legged, beady-eyed, blood-suckers are called "Mosquitoes", and when they come out in the Louisiana swamps and bayous they come out by the millions -- swarming, buzzing and biting! Within minutes “Little Lara's” decks are awash in them, forcing us below, where we install screens over every port-light and erect nets over the companionway hatch. All night we can hear these unwelcome guests knocking on the boat, wanting to be invited in for dinner.

Only the female Mosquitoes bite. They are attracted by several things, including heat, light, perspiration, body odor, lactic acid and carbon dioxide. We believe, they are also attracted to “Little Lara”! The female lands on your skin and sticks her proboscis into you. Anticoagulants contained in her saliva prevent your blood from clotting. She extracts a small portion of your blood into her abdomen - about 5 micro liters per serving. After she has bitten, some saliva remains in the wound. The proteins from that saliva evokes a natural immune response and causes the itching sensation, a response provoked by the saliva. Even though the swelling quickly goes away, the itch remains longer while your immune cells break down the saliva proteins. Why they love Peggy more then me, remains a mystery. I believe it is because she is much sweeter than me. In particular they like her legs and ankles.

Ochlerotatus Taeniorhynchus

Mosquitoes fly an estimated one to one and a half miles per hour. Some species remain close to their breeding site, while many fly up to ten miles or more in search of food, which explains why it does not matter where we anchor, they always find us. Mosquitoes, like all insects, are cold-blooded. As a result, their body temperatures are the same as their surroundings. In temperate climates, adult mosquitoes become inactive with the onset of cool weather and hibernate to live through the winter. In spring, or when temperatures rise, the females emerge from hibernation and immediately looks for food. For these reason we are looking forward to the cooler fall weather. Until then, you will find us aboard “Little Lara”, hiding out below deck, behind screens and netting. Fair winds.