Myth #1 Garlic and marmite ward off mosquitoes. FALSE.
Whilst garlic is essential in a good spag bol, there is no scientific evidence it will keep mozzies at bay. Your Marmite soldiers, as brewers yeast, or vitamin B tablets, do not deter the determined mozzy. Instead use insect repellent, cover your arms and legs and sleep under a mosquito net to protect yourself.
Myth #2 Mosquitoes like sweet blood. FALSE.
Despite the romantic notion that the sweetness of our blood attracts a mozzy, it isn’t true. What a mozzy is really attracted to is a cocktail of odours produced by microbes on our skin - sweat is what can really win them over! So even if you don’t think you’re top of the list on a mosquito’s menu, take precautions to prevent bites.
Myth #3 Mozzies have wardrobe preferences. TRUE.
Oh yes they do. Because they are attracted to heat and dark clothing retains more heat than light-coloured clothing, mosquitoes prefer black or dark blue!
Myth #4 Antiseptic mouthwash repels mosquitoes. FALSE.
Antiseptic mouthwash might give you fresh, minty breath but it won’t put off a mozzy, despite what the internet would have us believe. This antiseptic mouthwash doesn’t double as an effective bug repellent so don’t rely on it.
Myth #5 Mozzies bite. FALSE and TRUE.
Mosquitoes don't have teeth so they don’t bite, they suck. They use the serrated proboscis to pierce the skin and locate a capillary, then draw blood through one of two tubes, drinking up three times its weight in blood. But not to worry, it would take about 1.2 million bites to drain all the blood from your body!
Myth #6 Mosquitoes die after feeding. FALSE.
Unfortunately, the female mosquito (males don't eat blood, they feed on nectar) can live to bite again and that’s how they transmit malaria. A female will typically bite on 4 separate occasions before she can pass malaria on to another person. So don’t assume once bitten you’re off the hook, and if you have to be bitten by a mosquito make sure it’s a young one!
Myth #7 Mosquitoes transmit the HIV virus. FALSE.
Mosquitoes do not transmit the HIV virus from human to human. The virus that causes AIDS is actually digested in their stomachs, so it's broken down without being passed on. But they do carry malaria, the West Nile virus, dengue fever and other serious diseases...
Myth #8 Electrical bug zappers work on mozzies. FALSE.
Don’t waste your money as bug zappers are useless against mosquitoes. Studies have shown that less than 1 percent of the insects killed by zappers are mosquitoes or other biting insects, with no effect on the overall mosquito population (bug zappers have nothing to attract mosquitoes toward them).
