Did you Know? Only Female Mosquitoes bite humans
FEW FACTS OF MOSQUITOES
There are about 170 different kinds of mosquitoes .These pests are part of the same family as houseflies and fruit flies, because they all have two clear, veined wings.
Best known as a summer pest, Mosquitoes can develop from egg to adult in 10 to 14 days.
- Size:1/4″ to 3/8″
- Shape:Narrow, oval
- Color:Pale brown with whitish stripes across abdomen.
- Legs:6
- Wings:Yes
- Antenna:Yes
DIET:
We usually say, “I have been bitten by a mosquito”, but this is not completely true. In fact, mosquitoes do not bite. Female mosquitoes feed on plant nectar and blood. They need the protein to reproduce. To get to the blood, they pierce our skin with their “proboscis” and suck our blood. Male mosquitoes feed exclusively on plant nectars. Mosquitoes are busiest at night and will fly up to 14 miles for a blood meal. They hunt for food by detecting body heat and Carbon Dioxide, the gas we breathe out.
Some species of mosquitoes act a vector and transmit most harmful diseases, like Malaria, Chikengunya, Dengue &Filaria, in addition to becoming a nuisance.
...HABITAT:
Mosquitoes breed in soft, moist soil or stagnant water sources such as storm drains, old tires, children’s wading pools and birdbaths.
IMPACT:
Mosquitoes spread diseases such as West Nile Virus,malaria and dengue fever.
PREVENTION:
- Replace all stagnant water at least once a week.
- Remove trash from around any standing water.
- When sleeping outdoors or in areas where mosquito populations are heavy, surround your bed with “mosquito” netting.
- Screen windows, doors and other openings with fine mesh.
Permanent measures include impounding water and ditching, and draining swampy mosquito breeding areas. Temporary measures include treating breeding areas to kill larvae and aerosol spraying (ULV) by ground or aerial equipment to kill adult and larval mosquitoes.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF MOSQUITOES
CULEX MOSQUITO
Culex or house mosquito are medium-sized mosquitoes that are brown with whitish markings on the abdomen.
These include the house mosquitoes that develop in urban areas, and the western encephalitis mosquito more commonly found in rural areas.
They typically bite at dusk and after dark. By day they rest in and around structures and vegetation.
AEDES MOSQUITO
- Aedes mosquitoes bite in daylight. They breed in fresh, stagnant, or brackish water.
- Aedesaegypti, one of the most important disease transmitters, breed almost entirely on old tires, tin cans, flower vases, and other similar manmade containers.
- The larvae hang at an angle to the surface of the water. The adult rests and feeds with its body parallel to the surface
ANOPHELES MOSQUITO
Anopheles mosquitoes bite primarily during the period from dusk to dawn.
- They may bite during the daylight hours in an area that is heavily shaded or in a room that is dark.
- Most species will breed in accumulated clean water, but some species breed only in tree holes.
- The larvae lie parallel to the surface of the water.
- The adults usually rest and feed with the body at an angle of 45 to the surface
TWO TYPES OF TREATMENT CARRIED AS PER THE INFESTATION/AREA OF MOSQUITOES
METHOD OF TREATMENT:
- Misting for External to control the Larva
- Fogging for External to control the Adult Mosquito
- Residual spray to control the larva
