Mosquitos
Australia has more than 300 different species of mosquitoes. They are a small blood sucking insects belonging to the family of flies called Culicidae. Mosquitoes are known to carry and transmit diseases although only a small number of species are considered a major concern in Australia. It is their persistent biting that is a major disruption to people across Australia. This can affect people’s outdoor lifestyles to a stage where their control is essential.Basic precautions can be taken to minimise contact with mosquitoes.
The Mosquito’s reproduction cycle relies on a water habitat with the immature stage of life being totally aquatic. The adult female will return to a water habitat to lay a batch of eggs. Most mosquitoes then stay within a two kilometre distance from their original breeding place hence mosquitoes being more of a problem along the edges of wetlands, lakes and rivers. On average a female mosquito will live for about 3 weeks with the male less than this.
Both male and female will feed on plant fluids and nectar but only the female will seek a blood meal as a source of protein for reproduction. They are attracted to people and animals by various stimuli including body odours, carbon dioxide, movement and heat. The female will then probe the skin for a blood capillary, injecting a small amount of saliva containing chemicals which prevent the person or animal’s blood from clotting.
After feeding on blood the female will find a place to rest, digesting their meal and developing eggs. They will then fly off to a suitable water habitat to lay eggs.The larvae’s development depends on the availability of food and the temparature but generally takes one to two weeks. They develop into a pupa (tumbler) from which the adult mosquito hatches about two days later to feed, mate and begin the breeding cycle once again.
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