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Mosquitoes can spread dangerous diseases to animals and humans. The Mosquito Abatement Team works to kill mosquitoes before they become a problem. How do they do this? Do they send out mosquito swatter teams? Do they spray poison all over? None of the above. They take a much more scientific and safe approach. Mosquito abatement specialists study the life cycle of a mosquito and then try to kill them before they become flying adults.
Watch out! Summertime is also mosquito time. Millions of mosquitoes are out looking for their favorite food—
The best time to battle the bug is at the larva stage. Mosquito abatement teams often put mosquito-larvae-eating fish in the ponds and puddles where female mosquitoes have laid eggs.
Female mosquitoes lay about 200 eggs on the surface of water. The eggs stick together and make a tiny raft.
Leave your spider friends in peace. We like to eat mosquitoes before they eat you!
After just one warm day, larvae hatch from each egg. They look like tiny, wiggling worms.
Which mosquitoes are males and which are females? It is important to know because only one sex drinks blood. Look closely at the head. Between the eyes are the antennae. They can sense sounds and odors. Male antennae are feathery. The female mosquito has long thread-like antennae. Do you see a tiny, straw-like tube sticking out between the antennae? That is the proboscis, or mouth. The female uses this to drink blood. Male mosquitoes feed on plant juices and flower nectar.
After a larva is grown, it changes shape and becomes a pupa. The pupa breathes air through a tube that it holds above the water’s surface while tumbling around in the water.
It takes only one warm day for a pupa to become an adult, flying mosquito.
Standards Link: Life Science: The sequential stages of life cycles change for different animals.
Standards Link: Life Science: Animals have structures that serve different functions in survivial.
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© Vicki Whiting June 2024
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