Kids Ask Dr. Bug

about the curious things found in the garden

How do I keep mosquitoes from biting me?

No one wants to get bitten by a mosquito – the red welts are itchy and last for days. Mosquitoes can also cause many diseases, so this is an important question. The best way to avoid getting mosquito bites around your home is to empty out any standing water, especially after a rainstorm or when sprinklers run. These puddles, even as small as a tablespoon of water, are where eggs are laid, and mosquito larvae grow up to become adult mosquitoes. It’s also a good idea to wear long sleeves and long pants, as well as an insect repellant to keep mosquitoes away.

Why do some ants have wings?

Most of the ants you ever see are worker ants – the ants that do all the maintenance jobs in the nest such as gathering food, cleaning the nest, feeding and grooming the queen, taking care of the eggs and larvae, and defending the nest. Only the potential king and queen ants have wings, and only then for a short time. When an ant colony is healthy and strong, once a year, some of the baby ants can grow into full adults with wings, which means they can fly away, mate, and start a new colony. The winged ants, called alates, all leave the nest at the same time – it is quite the sight! After flying away, the alates try to find another alate from another nest and a place to start a new colony. The male ant dies soon afterward. Alate wings fall off, or, if not, they are broken off. Wings just get in the way when you live underground, or in a log! Interestingly, the worker ants are never considered adults because they are not reproductive, and they will never have wings.

If you could have any kind of ant in your ant farm, what species would you choose?

Ant farms typically have harvester or carpenter ants, and typically only workers. These ants are very active and are large, so they are easy to see. Some people will use ants they find outside. Out of the more than 12,000 species of ants, there is an incredible amount of diversity in size, colors and patterns, habitat preferences, and food preferences. There are so many species to choose from, I don’t know what I would choose. You can learn a lot from ants as they are a eusocial species. You will see cool so-

cial interactions such as grooming, communication via antenna touching, and trophallaxis (fluid sharing – including food, pheromones, and gut microbes).

On the other hand, instead of a particular ant species, I would rather have a termite farm – you get all the social interactions, and you will see the king and queen!

Fortunately, ticks don’t jump, nor do they fall from trees. These large, 8-legged mites do not have wings, so they must crawl or hitch a ride to get to someplace new. Outdoors, ticks climb to the tip of grass, spread their forelegs, and wait for someone to walk by close enough for them to latch onto – this behavior is called questing. They can also crawl onto you from pets. Knowing this can help you avoid ticks.

Wear protective clothing, including long pants tucked into your socks, when you are outdoors, especially in areas known for tick infestations. Use a DEET-containing protectant, that helps repel ticks and treat your pets so they don’t bring ticks inside your home.

Always check for ticks when you have been outdoors and wash your clothes to remove any ticks on them. Like mosquitoes, there are many serious diseases that you can get if you get bitten by an infected tick. If you find a tick on you, see this web page for tips on how to safely remove a tick: https://www. cdc.gov/ticks/removing_a_tick. html.

Clean the bite area thoroughly and apply an antibiotic. If you get sick or develop a rash, see your doctor and let them know about the tick bite.

How do I keep ticks from jumping on me?

Winged ants like this one are called alates.

Do you have questions about bugs found in your garden for Dr. Bug? Send them to ReallT@ Missouri.edu or bit.ly/KidsAskDrBug. Include your name and age. To help me learn what you learn from this monthly column, would you please consider filling out this survey: bit.ly/KidsAskDrBugSurvey. Thank you!

TAMRA REALL Horticulture Specialist

Dr. Tamra Reall (@MUExtBugN Garden) is the horticulture specialist for MU Extension in Jackson County. For free, research-based gardening tips, call 816-833-TREE (8733), email mggkc.hotline@gmail.com, or visit www.extension2.missouri.edu.