Adaobi Okwy: When the world is a mosquito (Y! Superblogger)

by Adaobi Okwy

Adaobi Okwy Superbloggers

….I learnt that most insecticides in Nigeria are only toxic to humans while mosquitoes just get weakened by them…they end up lazing about on your floor and when they air is cleaner, they just get back up on their wings and exact their revenge on your blood.

When I decided to move from Abuja to Lagos earlier this year, I thought that the problems I would face, besides being a new place for me; were clear cut- traffic, dirty unending gutters, a foreign language and…I just hated Lagos. Well, it’s been almost six months and I must confess that, it wasn’t as scary as I anticipated…I only forgot the scariest problem- mosquitoes.

I am sure when the guy who asked if you think you cannot make an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito, was being that philosophical, he wasn’t thinking about me otherwise, he would have said- try going to bed with millions of mosquitoes.

You see, I thought Lagos like Abuja- you just shut your doors and you’re safe from all predators including mosquitoes well, there’s no truth to this assumption…there’s a prevalence of mosquitoes in Lagos. After going to bed one night and waking up to kill over thirty-two, well fed mosquitoes- I knew the world was just that- a mosquito.

So, what have I done and what have I learnt?

First of all, I learnt that a mosquito net is the single greatest piece of invention man ever made.

Secondly, I learnt that most insecticides in Nigeria are only toxic to humans while mosquitoes just get weakened by them…they end up lazing about on your floor and when they air is cleaner, they just get back up on their wings and exact their revenge on your blood.

Thirdly, I learnt that many people do not understand the dangers mosquitoes pose to them- they just say (while looking at your with the most ridiculous expression on their face), “This time thing? Why do you worry so much? What’s the worst it can do? It can’t even take a tenth of a blood pint?” Well, if only people know that millions of children die yearly because of these malaria-spreading-little-vampires, maybe they would see the need.

But, besides what I have learnt in order to take care of myself better, I have also learnt some fun facts about mosquitoes:

1. You know deers and antelopes? When they’re running to escape a predator, they begin this upward, downward, sideways hoping- all to disorient and spin your head so you are left befuddled by them? Well, as a mosquito expert now (haha), take it from me…they do so too.

2. Mosquitoes are attracted to white objects in a dark room. They’d sooner hide on your white couch, than on your purple one; on a transparent bowl than on a green one while, if they must stay in a dark room for long, mosquitoes would hide on dark paintings, fans, on clothes and under couches.

3. When there’s light, mosquitoes would always fly towards it.

Ciao!

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Adaobi Okwy blogs at www.adaobiokwy.com and tweets from @adaobiokwy.

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

One comment

  1. SO WE SHOULD OFF OUR PANT AND WEAR ON OUR HEAD COS YOU HAVE STUDIED MOSQUITOES ABI?

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