TeachThemRight About Insects – Teach Them Right

Can COVID-19 Spread From Mosquito Bites?

Published on April 5, 2020April 12, 2020 by Big Homie2 Comments

By Jim Gathany – This media comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Image Library (PHIL), with identification number #5814.Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=799284

To all those reading, I am Big Homie, age 15. The project my dad gave me for the week was to find out the answer to a common asked question these days concerning the Coronavirus. In the following, I will share with you the conclusions to my research.

It’s that time of year again. The time of year when those annoying blood-sucking vampires come and feast on our blood. Sorry to sound so dire, but it’s the truth. Mosquitoes seem to just love annoying us by pricking us with their little mouth-needle and suck our blood. But now that we have a pandemic on our hands, this raises a question. Can the new coronavirus, COVID-19, spread through mosquitoes? To answer that question, I’ll be showing you the anatomy of a mosquito, and in the end, demonstrate how it can or can’t spread from mosquitoes.

The anatomy of a mosquito is simple. You have the head, thorax (or torso), and abdomen. The head has the mosquito’s eyes, antennae, and proboscis (it’s blood-sucking, mouth-needle). Thorax houses its wings and legs. And the abdomen houses it’s stomach. Does this make you wonder how they breathe? Mosquitoes do not have lungs like we do, so they breathe through tiny holes on both sides of their abdomen called spiracles. These spiracles spread oxygen throughout the mosquito’s body. Now that we know the anatomy of a mosquito, here are some facts about the COVID-19.

Source: By CDC/ Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAM – Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86444014

COVID-19 is what is known as a respiratory virus, meaning people get infected with the virus by breathing it in through their mouth or nose, though it is possible to get the virus through your eyes. Examples of respiratory viruses include SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome), which are both part of the coronavirus family.

Now, to answer the question: Can COVID-19 spread from mosquito bites? The answer would be no, it cannot. Why, because, as I said above, mosquitoes do not have lungs! Therefore, they cannot inhale and exhale like we do, instead breathing through their spiracles. The World Health Organization (WHO) also posted on their website, has part of their “Myth Busters” page, saying that this new coronavirus cannot spread through mosquitoes.

While little is known about how COVID-19 jumped from animal to human, rest assured that you do not have to worry about getting the coronavirus if you get bit by a mosquito. Now, if you excuse me, I need to find a can of bug spray. Just because I cannot get the coronavirus from them, doesn’t mean I want to get bitten by one.

So How Will Your Children Learn With School Closing Due To COVID-19 AKA Coronavirus?

Published on March 13, 2020March 14, 2020 by Cool PappaLeave a comment

How did you get here? You cannot believe it can you. You have never thought about homeschooling but here you are. You’ve heard about those crazy religious, anti-social people homeschooling their kids but that’s not you. After all, the government will always be there to take care of your children right?

Are you feeling a bit hopeless?

The thought of homeschooling seems too daunting, I know. You think you can’t afford to be home or perhaps you are going to be afraid that your kids will grow up with no social skills, but now due to COVID-19 or “Coronavirus”, you may have to be home, and what about socialization? Oh no, it’s recommended that your kids even limit who they come in contact with now.

You use to wonder how would your family and friends feel about you pulling your kids out of school? Would the government come after you? How could you teach math? What if you don’t have them prepared for college? But now larger questions exist, such as, “Will my kids have to make up the days off?” “How long could this go on?” “After the first week, they need the break, but what am I going to have them study and do weeks 2, 3, 4, etc.?”

Oh yes, I have been there for a few of those questions. But regardless of COVID-19, or any other school tragedy that happens at the school of the day, my kids and I will not miss a beat. Don’t believe me, let me tell you a little about us to see if I can help you.

Continue reading →

The Difference Between Venomous and Poisonous

Published on March 29, 2018March 29, 2018 by Big HomieLeave a comment

I get mad when someone says that a spider is poisonous, which they are not, they are venomous. I would like to show you the difference between poison (or poisonous) and venom (or venomous).

Poison (Poisonous)

First off, let’s talk about poison. So, what exactly defines poison? Well, poison is something that you have to touch in order to get sick. Like, if you touch a poison dart frog, you are already infected. The poison goes through your skin and gets into your blood then travels around the body. There are different levels of poison, there are poisons that are harmless to humans and poison that will kill you. But either way, you might want to stay away from anything that’s poisonous, definitely if your allergic.

Venom (Venomous)

Ok, now we’re into the animals like snakes, spiders, and scorpions. Venom has to be injected into you for you to be in potential danger. Now, just like poison, there are different levels of venom. There’s venom from a honey bee sting (yes, if you didn’t know before, every bee, as far as I know, has venom), which isn’t that dangerous unless you are allergic. Then there’s venom like that of Inland Taipan, which is the most venomous snake in the world. One bite worth of venom is enough to kill 100 grown men (luckily, an antivenom was created in 1955). So, yeah stay away from South Australia if you don’t want to meet this snake.

Well, I hope you all learned something in this blog post and enjoyed it, and I also hope you learned the difference between poison (poisonous) and venom (venomous).

By Big Homie.

Big Homie’s TeachThemRight About…BUGS!

Published on November 5, 2017November 4, 2017 by Cool PappaLeave a comment

Soon TeachThemRight.Me will be launching a new section about bugs. Written exclusively by 13-year old Big Homie, as he shares with you his passion for insects.

Since we moved to the desert a couple of years ago, Big Homie has become fascinated by the very creatures that make our skin crawl. I hope you enjoy his writing style and flavor, and by all means, feel free to challenge him and ask questions as it only makes him better!

Enjoy!

Cool Pappa

Top 3 Most Painful Insect Stings

Published on September 2, 2017November 4, 2017 by Big HomieLeave a comment

I bet most people in their lifetime has gotten stung by something. Whether it’s a bee or maybe an ant (yes, ants can sting), most people have been stung at least once. Fortunately for me, I have not yet. Now believe it or not, there is a sting out there 30 times more painful than a bee sting. This blog post is about the most painful bug stings in the world.

3: Paper Wasp

The paper wasp gets its name from the nests they build that looks like it’s made out of paper. Paper wasps are not aggressive and will only attack if their nest is threatened. Like any wasp or bee, they eat nectar, but they also eat caterpillars, flies, and beetle larvae

2: Tarantula Hawk

I can say I have seen one before and as they are plentiful where we live during the late spring and early summer. Even though they have a stinger about 7 mm long, you get distracted by how pretty this insect is with it’s nice orange wings and black head and body. With that look, how can you notice its stinger? Well, I suggest not to get too close to them unless you want to get stung, but some people do “play” with them. They are not that aggressive, but I’ll still keep my distance, just to be safe.

1: Bullet Ant

Please for your own safety, stay away from this bug, unless you want to know what it’s like to be shot. Their sting not only feels like you’ve been shot, but the pain lasts for 24 hours. It still gets worse, when they sting you the venom from the sting attacks your central nervous system, the spot where you got stung will become temporally paralyzed.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and if you live somewhere near these bugs I wish you good luck!

-BigHomie