Most people would to love to wipe the mosquitoes that spread the Zika virus off the face of the Earth.
But fighting these nasty little biters — a species called Aedes aegypti — is harder than most people imagine, experts say. USA TODAY's Liz Szabo talked to mosquito control experts to find out why this species is such a formidable foe.
Q. What makes these mosquitoes different?
A. They love humans — but not in a good way.
Like the dog, the Aedes aegypti has evolved to live among people. Yet while dogs seek human approval, and willingly work for us, the mosquitoes that spread Zika simply want our blood.
Although the Aedes aegypti originated in jungles, breeding in tree holes or in water that collected in leaves, it now thrives in our homes, according to the World Health Organization.
"It's a domestic mosquito," said biologist Laura Harrington, 
professor and chairwoman of the entomology department at Cornell University in New York. "You won't find it in places without humans."
Female mosquitoes need the protein and other nutrients in blood to make eggs.
The Aedes aegypti produces more eggs and lives longer after dining on our blood than when they feed on other animals.
All mosquitoes release a numbing substance in their saliva, so that people don't feel them bite, Harrington said. They also release chemicals that prevent blood from clotting, so that they can suck longer. The Aedes aegypti produces a less painful bite than other mosquitoes, so it's possible that they produce more of this numbing substance, Harrington said.
The Aedes aegypti "hones in on the volatile chemicals that come off our skin," said Grayson Brown, a professor of entomology at the University of Kentucky who recently returned from a trip to Brazil to study way to protect people from Zika. "If you're sitting next to a monkey, it's much more likely to bite you than the monkey."
Q. How does this mosquito exploit human weaknesses?
A. Unlike the mosquitoes that spread malaria, which breed in depressions in the ground or swamps, the Aedes aegypti prefers to lay eggs in our man-made containers and even rests under our beds or in our closets. It prefers clean water, like the rain water that people in developing nations store in jars outside their homes, Harrington said.
The Aedes aegypti also has adapted to live among human waste. It thrives in the trash-strewn streets of crowded, impoverished cities of developing countries, breeding in the water that collects in old tires, plastic cups and bottle caps, according to the WHO. Other favorite locations: construction sites and clogged rain gutters.
Females — the only ones that bite — can also lay eggs in the "microbial stew" found in septic tanks, toilet tanks and shower stalls.
Q. Why is this mosquito so good at spreading disease?
A. Several features help the Aedes aegypti spread Zika as well as other diseases, including yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya and West Nile virus.
While most mosquitoes feed on blood only when they're laying eggs, feeding on plant nectar the rest of the time, Harrington said the Aedes aegypti feeds on blood almost every day. Female are infectious throughout their lives.
The Aedes aegypti is an "aggressive daytime biting mosquito," according to the WHO. Although it's most active at dawn and dusk, it also can bite at night in well-lit homes. Females mount "sneak attacks," approaching people from behind and biting ankles and elbows, where they're less likely to be noticed and slapped.
Instead of taking lots of blood from one bite, these mosquitoes take multiple sips from multiple bites, which increases the number of people that females can infect, according to the WHO.
Q. How dangerous are mosquitoes?
There are more than 3,000 species of mosquito in the world, including 176 in the USA, according to the American Mosquito Control Association. Together, they spread diseases that kill 725,000 people a year, according to Gates Notes, the personal blog of Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Malaria alone kills 438,000 people a year, according to the WHO.
"There's nothing good about mosquitoes," Fauci said. "People say, 'But mosquitoes feed the birds.' I say, 'Give the birds bird seed.'
