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Starter

The Deadliest Animal

It’s the most dangerous animal on Earth. 🌏️ 

It kills up to a million people every year - that’s more than sharks, dogs, lions, and even the flu combined.

And yet… it weighs less than a paperclip.

Mosquitoes are the ultimate tiny tyrants.

For over 100 million years, they’ve been buzzing, biting, and bothering anything with blood. They are nature’s original sleep disruptors.

We’ve all felt their reign of terror: that high-pitched whine in the dark, the sudden itch, the midnight hunt around the bedroom - armed with whatever’s in reach. 🔨 

But what exactly are mosquitoes?

Why do they bite us? And most importantly - what can we actually do to protect ourselves?

Let’s dig in. 👇

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Main Course

Tiny Workers

What are mosquitoes?

Little insects that survive by stealing blood. 🩸 

Where do they live?

Pretty much everywhere except Antarctica. 🧊 

From tropical jungles to Siberian forests, there are over 3500 species of mosquitoes.

All they need:

A little water and a little blood.

Why do they bite us?

For reproduction.

Female mosquitoes need blood to make eggs, while male mosquitoes just chill and sip nectar. 🍹

How do they do it exactly?

They stab you with a proboscis - a needle-like mouthpart consisting of 6 parts (stylets):

• 2 cut your skin

• 2 hold the tissue apart

• 1 sucks blood

• 1 spits saliva (increases blood flow + has sometimes diseases 🤢)

💡 Fun fact: Thanks to mosquitoes, we have learned how to make needles for injection less painful!

But how do they ALWAYS find us?

Think of them as tiny special ops agents.

They are able to

• Detect your carbon dioxide from meters away

• Sense body heat

• Smell your sweat + odors

• See your clothing or skin color, which makes you easier to target

Are they dangerous?

Yes, if infected!

They can spread diseases like malaria, dengue, Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever, and West Nile virus - making them the deadliest animal on this planet. 🌎️ 

How do their bites affect us?

Mostly harmless… but definitely sanity-destroying.

Mosquito bites usually come with:

• Red, itchy bumps that beg you to scratch

• Swelling

• Allergic reactions in some

👩‍🍳 Chef Tip: Mosquitoes LOVE shallow water.

Want fewer bites?

Start by eliminating their breeding grounds - empty buckets, flower pots, and clogged gutters.

🍰

Dessert

You vs. Mosquitoes

If you’re like me, you probably spend way too many hours hunting down these little suckers.

The result?

Sleepless nights, zero recovery, bad mood… and a partner who’s even grumpier than you. 😠 

So I had to do something against it!

I went down the internet and searched for the most effective, natural ways to repel (or eliminate) mosquitoes.

Here is what I’ve found: 👇️ 

For Protection 🛡️

Use oils like lavender, cinnamon, tea tree, vanilla, or black pepper oil as repellents.

Garlic, mint, and even coffee grounds can also keep them away.

For Hunting 🏹 

Mix apple cider vinegar, vanilla, or the oils above with water in a spray bottle.

Now, you’ve just built a budget-friendly anti-mosquito weapon. 🔫 

For Scent 🌿 

Grow plants like mint, oregano, lavender, catmint, rosemary, sage, or lemongrass.

Place them strategically near windows or doors. 🚪 

For Distraction 🤡

Place cups or buckets of warm soapy water in spots far away from your bed.

Set up fans to push them toward the trap zone.

Bonus: DIY Mosquito Trap 🛠️

What you need:

• 1 plastic bottle

• Black tape or paper

• 500 ml warm water

• 80 g brown sugar

• Dry yeast

• Dish soap

Steps:

1. Cut the top third off the bottle.

2. Wrap the bottom with black tape (mosquitoes love the dark).

3. Mix warm water + sugar, add to the bottom.

4. Add yeast and stir.

5. Drop in a little soap (breaks the water’s surface tension).

6. Place the cut-off top upside down into the base (like a funnel).

7. Set it up and let the trap do its thing.

My tip: Combine repellents, sprays, plants, and traps (both inside and outside) for a mosquito-lite life.

You’ll maybe never be 100% mosquito-free… but you’ll finally be able to sleep peacefully at night. 🛏️ 

🥜

Snacks

Dark Dad Joke of the Week

A Deep Question

When faced with something you can’t change, how do you decide whether to resist, adapt or accept?

A Friendly Reminder

🎁

Takeaway  

You aren’t satisfied yet? 

Here are my Ingredients and Recommendations for you:

🎙️ Podcasts

• Here's Why You May Be a Mosquito Magent (Chasing Life)

• How to avoid mosquito bites (Life Kit)

• The Mosquitoes Are Winning (New York Times Podcasts)

• Make Mosquitos Like You Less (Nutrition Facts)

📚️ Book

• The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator (Timothy C. Winegard)

📺️ Videos

• Why mosquitoes bite some people more than others (TED-Ed)

• What Happens to Your Body When a Mosquito Bites You (BRIGHT SIDE)

• Why Mosquitos Are The Most Dangerous Creatures In The World (Spark)

• I tested the Internet’s most popular Mosquito Repellents (The Bear Essentials)

📑 Articles

• Mosquito Bites (Cleveland Clinic)

• Mosquitoes (National Geographic)

• Mosquitopia: The Place of Pests in a Healthy World (NIH)

• About Mosquitoes (CDC)

• Phylogenomics reveals the history of host use in mosquitoes (nature.com)

Thank you for being here 💝 

Looking forward to serving you next week.

Much love,

Benji