Mosquitoes Mosquitoes are in the family of flies. Mosquitoes have six legs and three body parts, the head, thorax, and abdomen. They have four life cycles.

Facts Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk. Mosquitoes, like caterpillars, make a metamorphosis before they reach their adult stage. There are 3,000 species of mosquitoes world wide. Facts Mosquitoes are the size of Lincoln's Face on a penny Mosquitoes live all over the world One square foot of salt marsh may contain over 10,000 salt marsh mosquitoes. Effective methods of repelling mosquitoes are: protective clothing, screening, and repellents.

Male Pipien Culex

How to tell the difference: The gender of adult mosquitoes can be determined by their antennae. The males antennae are feathery. The females have little hairs on their antennae.

Female Culex Pipien

First stage The first is the egg stage. Eggs are laid in a group or singly. To hatch they must be in water. Some eggs are able to stay alive for months or even years before water arrives. Most mosquitoes, though never survive to the adult stage.

Second Stage The second stage is the larval. Most larvae feed on organic debris and algae. Each larvae has an exoskeleton, which molts as it grows. Mosquitoes molt four times before they pupate.

Third stage The tumbler, or pupa, is the third stage. Occasionally the pupa will tumble to the bottom of the water, to get away from danger. They do not eat in this stage.

Adult stage When the adult stage arrives, the pupa splits the exoskeleton down the back and the adult climbs out. Adult mosquitoes eat plant juices and nectar.

The female is the only one that sucks blood The female is the only one that sucks blood. They do it prior to depositing eggs. The blood nourishes the eggs. The female sucks the blood out by injecting saliva, which contains an anti-coagulant, into her victim. The saliva causes irritation. Mosquitoes can carry malaria, yellow fever, dengue and certain types of encephalitis.

Mosquitoes are an important role in the food web Mosquitoes are an important role in the food web. Mosquitoe larvae feed fish and young amphibians. Adult mosquitoes feed birds, bats and frogs.

Reproduction: Unlike the spring mosquitoes that emerge and die, the summer type can reproduce five or six times, and they hatch by the millions!

Mosquitoes have no tracks, they fly Mosquitoes have no tracks, they fly. Here is a close up picture of their wings.

bibliography Encyclopedia Americana M Americana corporation New York, NY copyright 1967 http://www.ent.iastate.edu/imagegal/diptera/culicidae/cxpipf.html http://yuma.colostate.edu/Depts/Entomology/ent.html

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