Why Are There So Many Mosquitoes?!

It’s summer and the mosquitoes are flying fast and furious. If you live in a mosquito free area, count yourself fortunate. The only place we have been where we really don’t see many mosquitoes is at the ocean. They don’t like salt water. Otherwise, wherever you go around here the mosquitos are active. But where do they all come from?

Mosquitos are in the group of insects with flies and gnats. They spend the first part of their life under water, and then fly in the air as adults. Interestingly, the female is the only one that bites. She needs the protein in blood to make here eggs. The eggs are laid on the surface of a stagnant pool of fresh water. When they hatch they become “wigglers” in the water. They don’t have gills so they need to come up to the surface to breath. They have a tube on their tail which they use as a snorkel. When they have grown enough, they float to the surface and form a pupa, or resting stage. After a few days, they hatch out as adult mosquitos. The males do not have the long straw like mouth parts to drink blood. They mostly feed on nectar from flowers.

A female mosquitos wings beat super-fast, sometimes 1000 times a second. That what make the buzzing sound if they get close to your ear. They are drawn to the carbon dioxide that we breath out. They can smell it 100 feet away! There are over 3500 kinds of mosquitoes in the world. Only Antarctica is mosquito free.

Some mosquitoes can carry dangerous diseases. That why it’s important to try and avoid them if you can. Here are some hints.

·       Wear an approved mosquito repellant. There are kid safe types if you do not like DEET.

·       Where loose fitting, light colored clothing. Long pants are recommended.

·       Limit time outside at dawn and dusk – the most active time for mosquitoes.

·       Dump out all standing water or get “mosquito dunks” so they cannot breed.

·       Make sure your doors and windows have tight fitting screens without holes.

·       You could get an electric mosquito zapper for your outside patio. It’s fun to listen to them get zapped. Hey, at least they are not biting you!

·       Some people put up bat houses. Bats eat thousands of mosquitoes every night!

·       If you do get bitten and it starts to itch, try not to scratch it. It might get infected. They make anti-itch cream that your parents can put on the bite to make it feel better.

 

Here’s a fun video about mosquitoes.

Well I hope you have a fun mosquito-free summer!

Until next time,

Love Papaw.

Father's Day

 

This Sunday is Father’s Day. In the United States it always falls on the third Sunday of June. As far as we know, Father’s Day was started by a lady named Sonora Smart Dodd who lived in Spokane, Washington. She started it to honor her widowed father who was a Civil War veteran. Because his wife had died, he had to raise 6 children alone. Mother’s Day had just become popular and she thought it would be good the honor fathers. Although one local church had a service for fathers to remember the Monongah mining disaster in 1907, it wasn’t until June 19, 1910 that the celebration went state wide.

It took a while for it to catch on. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge added his support to the observance and urged other states to also celebrate it. President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation in 1966, establishing the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Still, it wasn’t until 1972 that President Richard Nixon signed legislation making Father's Day a permanent national holiday. (https://www.history.com/articles/fathers-day)

So how will you celebrate Father’s Day? First, be sure to give your father a great big hug and tell him you love him. (It works for grandfathers also!) You could make or buy a card for him. You might even serve him breakfast in bed. If you can’t cook yet you might want to ask mom for help so you don’t burn the toast. Some families go to church together; others might go to the park for a picnic. You could even do both. Just be sure you let your father know how much you appreciate him and all the hard work he does for your family. (You might even clean your room. That is sure to surprise him!) My father and I used to go fishing together a lot. I think we may have even fished on Father’s Day after the picnic was done. Whether you get him a card, his morning coffee or a breakfast burrito, be sure to let him know how much you love him. And don’t forget to say thank you to your Heavenly Father for all he has done for you!

I hope you all have a great time celebrating Father’s Day this year!

Love Papaw.

Say NO to Trash!

Mema and Papaw just spent nine days at the beach. It’s one of Mema’s favorite places. One thing that really makes Papaw sad is when people leave trash on the ground. Sometimes it is right by the trash cans! I know that animals like raccoons and squirrels can pull things out of trash cans and add to the litter on the ground, but most of it comes from us humans. I saw plastic bags, wrappers, water bottles, and even old socks on the beach. I try to pick up the things I come across, but one person can only do so much. Also, sometimes it may not be healthy to clean something up without gloves.

Here are some helpful guidelines when you are out enjoying nature.

1. If you drop it, pick it up. If you make a mess, help clean it up.

2. Put wrappers in your pocket  or a bag until you can find a trash can. Most places have them spaced all around.

3. Leave an area you use for camping, a picnic, or other activity cleaner than when you arrived.

4. Try to pick up any trash directly in your path. If everyone did this, there wouldn’t be any trash.

5. Be responsible with the things you use. If it’s a windy day be sure everything is secure. Make sure animals can’t get to it.

6 Recycle if possible.

7. Don’t throw trach in the recycle bins. It makes a real mess for those recycling it.

If we all do our part, we will have cleaner parks, beaches, and roadways. It will also help the animals. We don’t want them eating trash and then getting sick!

Have fun this summer!

Love, Papaw

 

Campfires & S’mores!

This last week Papaw and Mema were on vacation. One of the things Mema loves is making s’mores over the campfire. Papaw usually makes the fire. I like to cut up some of the logs with my hatchet so that I have some smaller pieces. These pieces are called kindling. I stack them up like a teepee and put a fire starter block under it. When the kindling gets burning pretty good I can add the bigger pieces. Soon we have a roaring fire. It feels nice and warm on a cool evening at the beach.

Fire needs 3 things to happen, fuel, heat and oxygen. The fuel is the wood. The match gives it the heat it needs to get started. The oxygen comes from the air. As long as you have these, you will have a good fire. 

Once the fire dies down you will have lots of red, glowing coals. That’s when it’s s’mores time! Mema toasts a marshmallow til it’s golden brown. Then she squeezes it between two pieces graham cracker with a piece of chocolate inside. The hot marshmallow melts the chocolate and your s’mores will be ooie-gooey delicious!  After a couple more s’mores ( who could eat just one?) we sit and enjoy a warmth as tiny flames flicker in the fire pit. Some people even tell stories or sing songs. At the end of the night it is important that you put out the coals. You don’t want to start a fire in the middle of the night. 

Well it’s time for s’mores so until next week!

Love Papaw  

How Do Light Bulbs Work?

Although Thomas Edison is often credited with the invention of the incandescent light bulb, It really took a series of events to develop it. He is the one who discovered the best filament to use. But I guess I’m ahead of myself. Let’s talk about what a light bulb is first.

There are several kinds of light bulbs. Incandescent lights, the lights with the glowing wire inside, where the first. They contain a coiled wire filament, a clear bulb, and a screw type base to connect it to the electricity. Most of the air is removed from the bulb so that the filament doesn’t burn up. This makes the light last a lot longer. The filament is made of a metal, usually tungsten, that has a high resistance. That means it’s hard for the electricity to push through it. This causes the filament to heat up and glow. If you hold your hand by it, you can feel the heat. Sometimes they make the glass of the bulb have a frosted look. This makes the light spread out a little so it doesn’t hurt your eyes.

Fluorescent lights are usually a tube of glass that has a smaller filament on both sides. The inside of the tube is coated with a chemical called phosphorus. There is hardly any air inside, but they add a very small amount of mercury vapor.  When the filaments are electrified, they get the molecules of mercury vapor all excited. The molecules move around very quickly until they give off a burst of energy. This energy hits the phosphorus and causes it to glow. As long as the electricity is on, the molecules keep moving and releasing energy. This give you light.

Neon lights are glass tubes with a special gas in them, usually neon or argon. The light has a special device that gives them a high voltage shock, causing the gas to glow. Each gas has its own color.

A newer kind of light is the LED.

It stands for light emitting diode. They come in various shapes and colors. They are made with a special device called a diode that is a type of microchip. When a current of electricity passes through it, it gives off light. They do not need to use very much energy, but still produce a good amount of light. They are small and can last a long time. This makes them useful for many things. You see them in Christmas lights, flashlights, and all kind of computer stuff. Most of the new lightbulbs are LEDs.

If you still want to know more, here is a short video about it.

Hope you like it!

Until next time,

Love Papaw.

How Do Bugs Breathe?

That is a bigger question than you would think. When you hear bug, most people only think of insects. But not all bugs are insects. Rollie pollies are actually  crustaceans. Spiders and ticks are arachnids. Then there are centipedes, millipedes and all kinds of worms. Yet they all get put into the group called bugs.

Most bugs do not have lungs. The have tiny holes in their abdomens called spiracles. These can be opened and closed as needed. These lead to little channels called tracheae that carry oxygen to the cells. Some bugs just let air come in by itself; Others, like grasshoppers, can expand and contract their abdomens to obtain more oxygen. Bugs don’t have blood. They have a clear, yellowing fluid called hemolymph that carries nutrients and oxygen inside their bodies.

Some creatures, like spiders, have what are called book lungs. They are structures that have thin, stacked, membranes that look something like pages in a book. They can fan these and let oxygen in. Others like rollie pollies have gills! They need to always remain moist. That’s why the need to live in moist areas like under rotten logs.

Water insects like the larva of mosquitoes and midges have an air snorkel that they can use at the water’s surface to breathe while they look for prey under the water. Others have visible gills. Some insect even carry a bubble of air around their abdomens while they are diving under water.

There are even bugs, like worms, that can breathe through their skin. They also need to always stay moist so that oxygen can absorb into their bodies.

Because most bugs have to get their oxygen these ways, it puts a limit on how big they can grow. It is thought that back in history (probably before the Great Flood) oxygen levels may have been greater. This could help them to grow much bigger, something we can see in some fossils.

What amazing creatures we have around us! I hope you liked hearing about them.

Until next time,

Love Papaw.

Gardening with Papaw

 

Spring is here at last! This is the time of year that people start planting their gardens. Some grow flowers. Others like to grow vegetables and fruit. Papaw likes to do both! I like flowers because they look pretty and also make Mema happy. I like to grow vegetables and fruit because I like to eat them. This year I’m a little behind, because things have been very busy. I may not put out as many plants this year.

We started in the fall with a flower for Mema. It’s called hydrangea. They can be white, pink, blue or purple. She like the purple ones. It’s still kinda small but it really had a lot of flowers this spring. It’s right by the back door so we can see it if we go out in the evening.

I also planted 3 tomato plants. Two are called cherry tomatoes because they have tiny cute tomatoes. If you look close at the picture you can see little tomatoes already. One is red; The other is a golden yellow. They will taste really good in salads and on Mema’s homemade pizzas! The other tomato is called a “zebra tomato” because it has purple and yellow stripes. It think that might look good on a hamburger.

I still would like to plant a few peppers. Mema doesn’t like them hot, but I do! I’m going to plant some Jalapeños and some cayenne peppers. Cayenne pepper are really hot, but I think they taste good on almost anything. Auntie B likes hot peppers also.  Maybe Mema will make some of her homemade salsa for us. Yum!

You could also grow corn or beans, They are fun to grow. I may even try to grow some more pumpkins or cantaloupe this year. They take a lot of room so I’m going to have to look for a good spot.

Gardening as a family can be fun. What would you like to grow?

Until Next Time,

Love, Papaw.