Karl Kjer || Biology OF Mosquitoes

Karl Kjer the great Biology professor and researcher provide here some useful information about mosquitoes biology.

Karl Kjer

 

The word mosquito is often followed by a one word question. WHY? To humans mosquitoes are just plain aggravating and annoying, with their buzzing and biting. To fish, birds, bats, frogs and insects, they serve as a steady food source. We can only wish that all of those fish, birds, bats, frogs, and insects develop voracious appetites and limit our human-mosquito contact to a minimum. But as of yet, mosquitoes remain a severe problem for populations near wetlands, or in warm, moist areas of the United States. In this article, we review mosquito biology and life cycles in. The more information we have about how mosquitoes flourish, the better able we are to control their population.

Water is the one thing that all mosquitoes need to complete their life cycle. If it were possible to reduce all standing water, we could manage mosquitoes. Although it is possible to fill in a puddle, we don't want to fill in a salt marsh. A bucket is easy enough to tip over, but it's not so easy to empty a entire tire dump. Many of the pest control services on the internet supply mosquito control products including mosquito sprays, mosquito fogger and many more with free shipping.

Pest Species of Mosquitoes
There are more than 13 genera of mosquitoes in the United States. The majority of pest mosquitoes come from one of three: Aedes, Culex , or Anopheles.

Aedes
Aedes mosquitoes are sometimes called "floodwater mosquitoes" because in areas that are periodically wet they lay their eggs singly on damp soil or vegetation. Eggs can remain dormant for some time until the areas are flooded and conducive to hatching. Our coastal marshes that are occasionally flooded by high tides are favored sites for salt marsh mosquitoes. These species can fly extreme distances (5 to 20 miles) from their hatch site.

The Asian tiger mosquito first appeared in the United States in 1985. This breed has spread rapidly and is of concern because it is known as a disease-carrying mosquito in its native Asia. Water-filled containers are a ready breeding site for this type of mosquito as well.

Culex
Still, standing water of all types, ranging from containers to larger pools are a favored breading site for Culex species. They do prefer a large amount of organic material in the water. They lay their eggs in "rafts," usually of 100 or more eggs, on the surface of the water

Anopheles
Anopheles mosquitoes prefer permanent bodies of fresh water to lay their eggs in. They like an abundance of aquatic plants that provide protection from fish and other predators. Their eggs are supported by floats on each side, are laid singly on the surface of the water.

Life Cycle
Of the four life stages of the mosquito,--egg, larva, pupa, and adult-- the first three require standing water.
The female mosquito lays her eggs on the water and they hatch in one to three days or remain dormant until they are flooded.
In order to survive, the larvae or "wigglers" that hatch must live in water. This stage lasts from five days to several weeks.
The larvae transform into pupae or "tumblers." During this stage, they do not feed but still move around while breathing. The adult mosquito is developing and will emerge in two to three days. Mosquitoes will over winter in either the egg stage or as adults.

Feeding Habits
In order to lay eggs, our female mosquito sucks blood. Plant nectar is the food source of the adult males and they are harmless to people.
Just after dark and just before daylight are the high feeding times for mosquitoes. Daylight hours find the adult mosquito resting in damp, dark spaces. But this is not a hard, fast rule for all mosquito species.

For more informational blogs and Biology tips and updates follow Karl Kjer.