Mosquitoes پشه ها
Mosquitoes (Culicidae, suborder Culicinae)
Over 1,500 species Worldwide.
The word mosquito is Spanish and means 'little fly'. Adults can be recognised because they are the only family of flies which have both the veins of their wings covered in scales (very rare in any flies at all) and a long projecting proboscis.
Not all species of mosquitoes are blood suckers and in those species which are it is only the females which do. This is because they need the protein to develop their eggs.
Sound is very important to mosquitoes for a number of reasons one of these is the location of mates. The antennae of male mosquitoes are sensitive to the sounds created by the beating wings of females of the same species. Because females are usually larger than the males, the wings of males and females beat at different frequencies. This makes it possible for males to distinguish females from males based on the sound of the beating wings and helps in the detection of females of the right species
Mosquitoes are best known for their role in the transmission of diseases, among the the more dangerous ones are Malaria, Yellow Fever and Dengue fever. They also carry various encephalitis viruses and filarial worms. Of these Malaria is by far the most important. "According to the World Health Organization, more than 500 million people are infected with the disease each year, and more than 2 million--mostly children living in sub-Saharan Africa--die of it."
Mosquitoes are important pests because their biting activity often interferes with outdoor activities and can transmit disease organisms to people and domestic animals. Most mosquitoes are active during twilight hours and at night; however, around the home, the mosquitoes that breed in discarded containers are active during the day.
All mosquitoes have one common requirement--they need water to complete their life cycle. Some mosquitoes lay individual eggs on the sides of treeholes or discarded containers, or in depressions in the ground that will hold water. The eggs can lay dormant for several years. Some eggs will hatch when they are flooded by rainfall. Several flooding and drying cycles are usually required for all of the eggs to hatch that are laid by a particular female mosquito.
Other mosquitoes lay eggs directly on the surface of water. The eggs are attached to one another to form a raft or the individual eggs float on the water. These eggs hatch in 24-48 hours releasing larvae that are commonly called "wrigglers" because you can often see the larvae wriggling up and down from the surface of the water.
Generally, the larvae feed on microorganisms and organic material in the water, but some mosquitoes prey on the larvae of other mosquito species and are regarded to be beneficial. In about 7-10 days after eggs hatch, larvae change to the pupal or "tumbler" stage in preparation for adult life.
Female mosquitoes begin to seek an animal to feed on several days after emerging from water. Male mosquitoes mate with females one to two days after the females emerge. Males do not bite, but they do feed on plant juices.
Close up of mosquito head.
Breeding Sites
Since mosquitoes need water to complete their life cycle, the source of a mosquito problem can be just about anywhere that water can collect. Bird baths, boats, canoes, discarded tires, plant pots and other such objects collect rainwater and become breeding sites for mosquitoes around the home. You can help reduce their populations by eliminating these breeding sites: remove discarded containers from your property, replace the water in bird baths regularly, and store boats, canoes and other objects so that they do not collect rainwater.
Farm ponds and lakes usually do not breed mosquitoes if they contain fish and are free of weeds, algae or floating debris that serve as harborage for mosquito larvae. Municipal and farm animal waste lagoons may also become breeding sites. Permanent natural bodies of water such as swamps usually contain a large array of predatory insects and fish that keep mosquitoes from reaching nuisance levels. Our activities may create mosquito breeding sites or increase the production of mosquitoes in natural bodies of water. Road building and maintenance often impedes the drainage of runoff from rainfall, creating a mosquito breeding site. Clogged drainage ditches along roads can become productive mosquito breeding sites. Logging and construction activities often leave tire ruts in the soil. These depressions are ideal breeding sites for "floodwater" mosquito species.
SIZE: ? to ? inch (6.4-12.7mm)
COLOR: Brown
DESCRIPTION: Thin, long-legged winged insect; adults have three pairs of long, slender legs. Mosquitoes have an elongate "beak" or piercing proboscis.
HABITAT: Most remain close to the lake, pond, or clogged gutter they lived in as larvae. Excess rain in the spring will provide plenty of breeding places for mosquitoes.
LIFE CYCLE: Adult female (only!) mosquitoes seek a blood meal so they can produce a new patch of eggs.
Eggs, pupae and larvae must have water to develop. Larvae feed on bits of organic matter in the water, becoming full grown in about one week. The pupal stage lasts two to three days.
TYPE OF DAMAGE: Bite humans to suck blood
CONTROL: Homeowners should carefully inspect their house (gutters) and yard (bird bath, old tires) for standing water - then dump it! Non-chemical control in the spring is easier and more effective than chemical control in the summer.
