The “Big Giant Mosquito” is a big draw at the American Museum of Natural History. Built in the early 1900s at 75 times its actual size to educate the public about the spread of malaria, it’s definitely not something you want taking a bite out of you.
“It looks really lifelike and scary,” said one museum goer.
“I’m glad we don’t have real mosquitoes that big,” said another.
But for anyone who’s been bitten this summer, it may feel like something that large chomped through you. Health officials say the hot, dry summer in New York creates a perfect environment for mosquitoes to thrive. And while thankfully, malaria-spreading mosquitoes have long made their exit from the city, there’s still the obvious threat of West Nile Virus.
Even though the mosquito model is a malarial mosquito, you can still get a really clear picture of how they spread disease when you get a closer look at the magnification of its large tube-like mouth.
“We saw West Nile Virus first pop up fairly early this season. We’ve seen it really consistently over the course of the summer. And given what we think the weather is going to be looking like, we’re probably going to see it all the way through the warm season,” explained Deputy Commissioner of Environmental Health Daniel Kass.
Health officials say children and the elderly are most susceptible to West Nile, and the same rules for protecting yourself apply now as they did earlier in the season.
“For people who live in areas with a lot of mosquitoes they know it and a lot of times people will or should avoid going out during the worst parts of the biting night,” Kass said. “They can use Deet or picaridin or oil — lemon, eucalyptus or something called IR3535 any of these repellents do a really good job and they don’t have to use them all the time but can use them in areas where there are going to be a lot of mosquitoes. And I think people are beginning to get the message more and more to try to notice where there is standing water.”
Most standing water can be flushed out with garden hoses, but if you can’t get to it call 311 and the city will take care of it. Also, always remember to protect windows with screens. That way you can keep the cool air in and the mosquitoes out.