Fred Skilton  age 11, of Philadelphia, , Penna., for his question:

How does a mosquito make a bump on your skin?

The mosquito has no teeth. So she does not really bite, But when we feel that itchy bump, we don't much care how she did it. Then is the time to apply glycerine and ammonia and concentrate on not scratching. The sting may last several days. That gives us plenty of time to wonder what happened.

The pesky creature did not mean to leave an itchy bump. If she didn't we would never have known she had visited us. She came to steal a sip of blood. Most of us would rather know when that happened, even if it takes a sting to remind us.

Only Mrs. Mosquito feeds on blood, Mr. Mosquito sips on fruit and plant juices, His beak is too weak to pierce skin ‑ otherwise the number of mosquito stings would be doubled. Her beak is strong enough to draw blood from turtles, frogs, birds, rabbits, and, of course  human being,

Her amazing beak is a kit of slender tools encased in her long lower lip. There are two piercers, two saws, a syphon and a syringe. The syringe is bedded in a sac of her special stinging fluid. This bloodthirsty lady keeps her surgical kit ready for operations at all times,

She hovers about seeking the slight heat given off by warm bodies. She selects a likely looking spot on the skin and comes in for a feather‑weight landing. She uses the two feelers on either side of her beak to find soft skin over a small surface blood vessel. Then she starts surgery,

The operation is painless. The lip loops back as the little tools go to work, Down go the saws and piercers through the skin ‑ so gently you don't feel a thing. She now has a hole through which to syphon up fresh blood. But, if the blood clots, it is no use to her, She stops this before it happens.

That is why she uses the syringe. The fluid she injects prevents the blood from getting thick and clotted. The little horror can now use her syphon to draw up a dinner of fresh blood.

After dinners off she flies. If you don't see her dining, you have m idea that she has stolen a sip of your blood, Not until later, that is. Then the de-clotting fluid starts to itch and sting, It is a strong acid and irritates the tissues around about the operation area:

The pain sends your body into defensive action. Crowds of white bloodan itchy bump caused by the mosquito's anti‑clot fluid.

We cannot swat all these pesky creatures. The best way to control them is when they are in the egg or larva stage. The breeding grounds are ponds and marshes.  Certain sprays on the water can prevent the larva from ever hatching into bloodthirsty mosquitoes.