Q: Are mosquitoes attracted to light?
A: Yes.
Many people believe that mosquitoes are attracted to moonlight (on the basis of the fact that they come out during nighttime). However, experiments have shown that it really is the case – mosquitoes are drawn to artificial sources of light. Many studies show that incandescent lamps (light bulbs) are more attractive to female mosquitoes than fluorescent lamps. The reason is that incandescent lamps produce light with a wavelength in the range of 400–500 nm, which corresponds to one of the major peaks in the emission spectrum of human sweat.
In addition to UV-A and visible lights, incandescent or halogen lamps emit significant heat radiation. It has been shown that it is possible to attract three times as many mosquitoes using an incandescent light bulb compared to an equivalent black body radiator (which emits just thermal radiation).
Q: Are mosquitoes nocturnal?
A: Mosquitoes are not true night feeders; they need darkness only at nightfall. nature, they fly during crepuscular periods, the partially light periods before dawn, and after sunset (dusk).
Mosquitoes that are active during the day have evolved to do so by using visual cues. They can detect shadows and polarized light, allowing them to orient themselves according to the sun’s position. Perhaps they may have some ability to adjust their flight behavior according to temperature changes associated with daylight hours.
Day-active mosquitoes are usually crepuscular. Some species such as floodwater mosquitoes “Aedes vexans”, Mansonia spp., tarsiers, frogmouths, and many catarrhine primate species including humans are also nocturnal in warmer regions where nighttime temperatures are not much lower than daytime highs. Floodwater mosquitoes (Aedes spp.) are particularly notable for their crepuscular activity when they may fly both in the late evening and early morning.
Q: Are mosquitoes pollinators?
A: In a limited number of cases, yes. There have been 10 species of mosquito described as having such a relationship with certain flowers, including “Apomys”, “Culex territans” and “Toxorhynchites”. In Malaysia, some mosquitoes in the genus “Anopheles” pollinate the blossom of Rafflesia arnoldii.
Mosquitoes are also known from subfossil copal preserved in Dominican amber where they were trapped within the tree resin while carrying pollen. However, this was probably the result of incidental contact between a male mosquito and the flower rather than pollinating behavior, as no other examples are known among the millions of extant insects.
Q: Can mosquitoes bite dogs?
A: Yes. To date, there are only one species of mosquito that preys specifically on dogs, “Culex vishnui”. There are four other known species that feed on dogs only occasionally.
Mosquitoes have been seen feeding on African bush elephants (“Loxodonta africana”) resting in the trees of a Kenyan mangrove swamp, and calves were observed to be bitten more often than adults.
A study carried out by researchers at the University of Pretoria in South Africa has shown that African buffalo (“Syncerus caffer”) are highly susceptible to malaria, and may also act as a vector for the disease.
Q: Can mosquitoes bite more than once?
A: Yes. This is called “multiple feeding”. With the exception of some blood-sucking, male mosquitoes, a mosquito generally obtains only one type of fluid with their saliva during each bite.
Mosquitoes may feed multiple times to obtain enough energy for flight and reproduction. However, even if they are full and can’t process any more blood, female mosquitoes will continue to bite because their salivary glands are not yet stimulated to secrete saliva.
Male mosquitoes can’t bite because they only have a digestive system, and don’t need blood for reproduction.
Q: How do mosquitoes reproduce?
A: The female lays fertile eggs after having had a blood meal, but only if the ambient temperature is higher than. The females lay the eggs just above the waterline as this is where they will hatch. To lay her eggs, a female mosquito seeks a sheltered area with still waters and mud (such as those found in swamps). Upon finding such an area, she stands over it while flapping her wings to maintain balance. Then she uses her ovipositor to cut a slit into the water. The eggs are very tiny and float out of the slit, propelled by movements from the female’s abdomen. The number of eggs laid will depend on species, but maybe as much as several hundred in one go. A full clutch can contain anywhere between 100–200 eggs depending on the species.
Mosquitoes in temperate regions are generally monovoltine, but those in tropical areas can be multivoltine. Each individual female usually lays only one batch of eggs per gonotrophic cycle.
Q: How do mosquitoes survive winter?
A: Mosquitoes overwinter as larvae or pupae in a variety of habitats, such as: spring seeps and heads, rodent burrows, or other small spaces; and even within tree stumps in the winter.
In a few species, adults can survive cold weather by taking shelter in warm places like homes. In very cold climates, some mosquitoes spend the winter frozen (diapause). Diapause is a physiological state in which an insect slows its development and metabolism because it is not currently well suited for the surrounding environment.
Q: Which mosquitoes are the big ones?
A: The biggest mosquito ever recorded was “Haemagogus janthinomys”, found in the Amazon rainforest. It has an average body length of 8 mm, with a wingspan of 23.5 cm (9.25 inches). This is large in comparison to most mosquitoes; the abdomen alone can be as long as the rest of the mosquito’s body.