What was George Washington's secret weapon during the American Revolution, and how did it lead to Britain colonising Australia? What protected Popes for centuries? And what does Starbucks have to thank for its global domination? The answer to these questions and many more is: the mosquito. The mosquito has razed economies, determined the fates of empires and decided the outcome of pivotal wars. She only females bite has dispatched an estimated 52 billion people from a total of 108 billion ever to have lived. As the greatest purveyor of extermination we have known, she has played a greater role in shaping our history than any other living creature. The Mosquito is the extraordinary story of how a tiny bloodsucking fly indelibly changed our world.