Mosquitoes have always been an annoying, and sometimes serious threat to man's domain.  Mosquitoes not only interfere with work and leisure time of man, but they can also attack farm animals causing a lose in weight as well as a decrease in milk production.  Along with these menacing attributes, mosquitoes can also transmit diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue, filariasis and encephalitis [St. Louis encephalitis (SLE), Western Equine encephalitis (WEE), LaCrosse encephalitis (LAC), Japanese encephalitis (JE), Eastern Equine encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile virus (WN) to humans and animals.

    Mosquitoes have four distinctive life stages, with the first three stages being spent in the water. An adult female lays about 100-200 eggs in clusters called rafts, which float on the surface of the water, or singly on the surface of the water or the waters edge depending on the species of mosquito. These eggs can withstand subzero temperatures or remain dormant up to two years on dry ground before hatching.  As spring brings warmth and water to these areas the eggs can hatch within 2-3 days.

    The larvae come to the surface to breathe through a tube called a siphon and feed on small organic particles and microorganisms in the water. Larvae are found in a wide variety of standing water sources including fish ponds, abandoned swimming pool, stagnant and polluted waters, log ponds, snow pools, brackish water, horse troughs, artificial containers, and even discarded car tires. It sheds its skin or molts four times during the next several days or weeks growing larger with each molt. On the fourth molt it changes into a pupa.

    The pupa cannot eat. It breathes through two tubes on its back. The adult mosquito grows inside the pupa and in several days, when it is fully developed, it splits the pupal skin and emerges to complete the life cycle of the mosquito.
The newly emerged adult mosquito rests on the surface of the water allowing itself to dry and all its body parts to harden. It will rest here until it is strong enough to fly away and feed.

 

All mosquitoes must have water to complete their life cycle.

In warm weather mosquitoes only require 7 days to go through their life cycle.

Mosquitoes do not develop in grass or shrubbery, although adults frequently rest in these areas     during daylight hours.

Only the female mosquito bites to obtain a blood meal. The male mosquito feeds only on plant juices.

The female requires a blood meal before it can lay eggs.

The female mosquito may live as long as three weeks during the summer or several months over the     winter in order to lay her eggs in the following spring.