Mosquito - Bug of the Month - May
It only makes sense that the introductory "Bug of the Month" for DoomedBugs.com is none other than the mosquito! About 2000 species of mosquitoes exist. Mosquitoes are found in all parts of the world. They have long, thin wings with small bordering scales around the veins of the wings, which allow them to fly better. Their bodies are narrow with long hairy antennae.
The male mosquitoes feed on nectar and water. However, female mosquitoes feed on warm-blooded mammals, especially humans! The females feed on mammals so they can absorb protein from our blood, which allows them to produce their eggs. The female mosquito has a very different mouth than the male; a female mosquito mouth is specially adapted to piercing skin and sucking blood. When a female mosquito bites, it takes blood from its victim and gives its victim some of its salivary fluid. This fluid causes swelling and irritation at the spot of the bite for victims. The female's salivary fluid is the cause of many mosquito-transmitted infectious diseases such as malaria, encephalitis, yellow fever, West Nile, and dengue.
Breeding
When breeding, female mosquitoes lay their eggs only in water. She may lay over 1000 eggs during her short lifetime of about 3-4 weeks. Some mosquito species prefer the water to be running, while others prefer standing water. Breeding locations range from lakes and swamps to barrels and other unlikely places. All that is required for breeding, is a small amount of water. Mosquito larvae are called wrigglers because of their "wriggling" motions when they are growing in the water.
Climate
Mosquitoes prefer warm weather and accessible water sources to lay eggs. The most common mosquito species in the United State is a carrier of deadly encephalitis disease. Malaria transmitting mosquitoes are characterized by organs near the mouth that are as long as the sucking tubes on both the male and female. Another mosquito species, is the Asian Tiger mosquito: introduced into the United States in about 1985 through shipments of tire casings. The Asian Tiger is a voracious biter with a very strong constitution.
Armed with this background information on the mosquito, you should now have a better sense of what you are up against when combating this pesky bug!
