Why can't all mosquitoes bite the dust?

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ENTERTAINMENT / Hot Pot Column

Why can't all mosquitoes bite the dust?

By Liu Jun (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-07-27 10:55

My husband came home one morning complaining of mosquito bites. No, he
did not spend the night in the jungle, he works night shift in a national
news corporation.

Despite freezing air-con - prompting the anchor ladies to put on heavy
wintry coats - the mosquitoes that usually thrive in steaming summer are
abnormally active in the spacious studio.

Throughout the night, one could hear "smack!" here and there from the
cubicles where the editors work. My husband is amazed at how the charming
ladies could curse when they are sure nobody sees them. But more amazing
is how clever and resilient the mosquitoes can be.

Lu Xun, a great writer and thinker of modern Chinese history, once wrote
about his medical studies in Japan in the early 20th century. To fend off
the mosquitoes, he wrapped himself up with clothes, leaving only a hole
for breathing. "Where air is constantly going in and out, the mosquitoes
find no place to sting. I thus had a good sleep."

This article was included in middle school textbooks. Strangely, we don't
remember anything about the cherry blossoms or the Japanese doctor who
was very strict on Lu Xun. The passage on mosquito, however, serves as a
motto when we battle the insect.

However, I suspect that mosquitoes have also learned from the article, as
they are obviously much more intelligent than a century ago.

Even though my husband wraps himself up and leaves no entry open, one or
two smart mosquitoes always manage to creep inside and treat themselves
to a big meal.

"As soon as I open my eyes, they'd take off in laughter before I moved a
muscle," sighed my husband, counting red bumps on his arm. "I've eaten
Vitamin B pills and rubbed Baby Gold Water all over me!"

Baby Gold Water (Baobao Jinshui) is a brown liquid made of herbal
medicine for children to fend off insects. Each time our 2-year-old boy
goes out to play, he'd hop up and down, singing: "Bao Bao Jin (Baby
gold)!"

Every night, we check the mosquito net over his small bed several times.
We fan the window screen vehemently before pulling it up to close the
window.

Still, my son woke up one day, scratching his head. "The mosquito has
planted a small mushroom!"

My mother has a primitive but effective treatment for mosquito bites.
Apply a bit of your own saliva and press your fingernail twice and hard
on the bump to curb the itch.

"We planted vegetables and carried goods along mountain paths besieged by
all sorts of insects. We had no medicine at that time," says Mum who can
recognize many medicinal herbs she learned in her childhood in Sichuan.

I grew up in Yunnan. The locals pride themselves with "18 eccentric
things", one of which was: Three big mosquitoes could be a dish. But we
soon realized, those palm-sized mosquitoes never stung. The tiny ones
with black-white legs were the real savages. "Any scientist who can get
rid of mosquito, fly and rat ought be granted the Nobel Peace Prize!" my
husband declared to our son. Until that scientist grows up, we'll have to
contend ourselves with my mother's method, or hope for winter to come
sooner.

(China Daily 07/27/2007 page20)

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