Mosquitos don't just suck blood, guys. They suck dreams. For instance, the dream you once had of an itch-free, un-mottled summer? Gone. And seeing as mosquito season is upon us, it's only going to start getting worse. Our only real defense against mosquitos, aside from fancy mosquito sprays, is complaining about them. I'm no doctor, but I complain a ton and it always seems to ease the itch. Just remember, though, to complain responsibly depending on where you are, because these cities with the most mosquitos in them probably have way more of a right to whine than you do.
Terminix recently did an across the board Twitter quest to find which cities in the US complained the most about mosquitos. While it's true that some people are bitten by mosquitos more than others, the reality that the people in these cities live with their pesky, bite-happy overlords regardless of how much the mosquitos thirst for their skin. Terminix conducted the study by following all of the mentions of mosquitos in 2014, and then used per capita calculations to zero on in the real mosquito hot beds in the country. Although New York and Chicago generated the highest number of complaints, the highest concentration of them by far came from these poor towns.
Here is the list of people who have more of a right to complain than anyone else, according to Terminix's findings:
10. London, Kentucky
9. Paragould, Arkansas
8. Shawnee, Oklahoma
7. Bemidji, Minnesota
6. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
5. Glenwood Springs, Colorado
4. Petoskey, Michigan
3. Bowling Green, Ohio
2. Safford, Arizona
1. Goodland, Kansas
More like not-so-good land, amirite? (I'm sorry. I know. I'm putting myself in timeout.)
In any case, decimating all these buzzing nuisances might sound like a good idea, but scientists are pretty split on the issue. Over one million people die each year of mosquito-borne diseases, but at the same time, mosquitoes provide nutrients to a lot of organisms and help pollinate plants. You can learn more about the debate for and against them here:
In the meantime, good people of these small towns, hopefully one day you will be avenged.
Images: Getty Images; Giphy(5)
