What if a Raindrop Squashed a Mosquito and Nobody Cared?

By some accounts, William Clark, of the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition, spelled the word Mosquito some 26 different ways in the journals he wrote to document the exploration of the American West.  Probably, that number is an exaggeration but William Clark used well over a dozen spellings.  My personal favorite is this: musqueters.

The claim is made that in all of Mr. Clark’s attempts at spelling Mosquito he never once managed to get it correct.

Only this much is certain: the missquetors drove the entire Corps of Discovery nuts on warm summer evenings.

Interestingly, the musquiters still drive men a bit crazy to this day.  Yesterday, as example, I read in Science News that scientists recently went so berserk as to spend a great deal of money and time studying what happens when a raindrop hits a mosquito.

Well, duh, they get hugely wet!

Actually the scientists set up elaborate methods of filming drops of water striking the tiny insects.  The most critical concept to grasp here is that someone paid these folks to film water splashing against bugs.  I am currently seeking information on where I might submit my job application.

Is there such a thing as a mosquito fluffer?

One scientist remarked, after watching the film of a water drop hitting a mosquito in midair, that it “is like a midair collision between a human and a bus.”  Except, not really.  Buses don’t fly all that well.

Turns out that mosquitoes more-or-less ride the raindrops for a brief time when struck.  At some point, unless the ground reaches them first, the insects break free and stop at the nearest diner for a cup of coffee.

I feel so much better knowing that.   But I am still wondering where the white goes when snow melts.

--Mitchell Hegman