Monday October 17, 2005
Mosquitoes and bananas
By MARY SCHNEIDER
With the dengue situation worsening in Penang, it’s hardly surprising that many of the island’s residents are giving mosquitoes some serious thought. I’ve even been asking myself the age-old question: Why do mosquitoes prefer one person over another?
We’ve all seen those poor souls who attract mosquitoes wherever they go. Attend any outdoor event after sundown and you’ll find these people slapping their legs and arms and clapping the air around them, while others are left relatively undisturbed.
If presented with a menu, it seems that the average mosquito can be quite discerning. It’s as if it won’t settle for a burger and fries when it can have a prime steak with creamy mashed potatoes.
If by some fluke a disoriented mosquito were to find its way to the North Pole, it probably wouldn’t attack the first Eskimo at the head of a long queue of Eskimos, even if it were dying of hunger and freezing to death.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are those people whom mosquitoes consistently ignore.
“I almost never get bitten by mosquitoes,” I’ve heard people say in the same way that others might boast about things like their financial wizardry or the fact that they’ve just climbed Mount Everest.
Having blue eyes, or three thumbs, or the IQ of a genius is nothing to boast about. It’s just the way you are.
Likewise, never getting bitten by mosquitoes is not an achievement.
In an attempt to find out more about the feeding habits of mosquitoes, I did a little research on the Internet. After visiting a couple of sites, I had all the information I needed to protect myself from those bloodsuckers.
Eager to share my newfound information with my teenage daughter, I went into the kitchen where she was foraging for a mid-morning snack.
“I’ve been doing some research and I think it’s best that we don’t eat any more bananas until the dengue situation is resolved,” I announced.
“What have bananas got to do with dengue?” she said as she defiantly reached to take a pisang emas from the counter-top.
“Well, I just read that mosquitoes are more likely to bite people who eat bananas.”
She stared at me as if I’d just told her that a camel was coming to lunch. “You’re joking, aren’t you?”
“No. I don’t have all the details, but there’s obviously something in bananas that mosquitoes find attractive.”
At this, I heard a loud snort behind me. I turned to find my teenage son standing in the doorway.
“What exactly is there in bananas that mosquitoes like?” he asked.
Well, I’m not sure. The website didn’t say. Perhaps it’s potassium. Aren’t bananas supposed to be rich in potassium?”
“So you’re trying to say that by eating one or two bananas a day, you will have enough potassium oozing out of your pores to attract all the mosquitoes in the neighbourhood?”
“Well, that’s what the article said.”
At this my daughter began eating her banana.
“You can’t believe everything you read on the Internet,” said my son.
“I know that, but all the other facts seemed logical so I just assumed ?”
“What other facts did you find out?”
“Well, did you know that the biting activity of the average mosquito increases by 500 times when there’s a full moon?”
This time my two teenagers snorted simultaneously.
“Surely you don’t believe that?” said my son.
“I know it might sound silly, but I’m sure there’s also a logical reason for that,” I said.
“Like what?”
“Well, like the fact that mosquitoes can see better when there is a full moon.”
“You’ll be telling us next that mosquitoes have bad eyesight.”
“Well, actually they do.”
“If their eyesight is so bad, how come they can find us in the dark?”
“They have thermal receptors,” I explained.
“Thermal receptors? Are you sure it isn’t thermal underwear?” said my son.
At this stage, I left the kitchen.
As a parent, it’s my duty to equip my children with the tools that will enable them to make informed, rational decisions, but sometimes I finding myself failing.
Later that day, when I went back into the kitchen, all the bananas were gone.
Perhaps it’s time for me to disseminate another chilling mosquito fact: these blood-sucking menaces prefer children to adults.
On second thought, my two kids will probably respond by saying something like: “How do mosquitoes tell the difference between a large child and a small adult?”
And since I’m shorter than both my children, I’ll be leaving myself wide open to attack, from both them and those pesky mosquitoes.
It’s enough to drive anyone bananas.
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