Mosquitoes Throughout History
When we tell stories, we incorporate the things around us into tales of how the world began, where animal came from and more. Consequently, there are a number of stories from around the world that show us how peoples at different times in history have thought about the mosquito.
In Islamic legend, Allah sent mosquitoes to punish Nimrod. According to the legend, a mosquito entered Nimrod’s head, and the constant humming of the mosquito was so disturbing that Nimrod ordered one of his guard to strike his head with a stick. Eventually, the guard hits him so hard that his head splits open, and the mosquito escapes into the world.
A Tuscarora legend recounts the tale of the origins of mosquitoes as well. In this legend, the mosquito is a giant, so large he blocks out the sun from the sky. He would eat one or two people at a time for his meals. Despite their best efforts, the warriors were unable to kill this great beast. The medicine men of the tribe prayed with their chief that the great creator would show them how to overcome this monster. Their prayers and chants were heard by Bat and Spider, who came to help. Bat planned to battle the monster until it died, while Spider spun a web to catch Mosquito.
Overhearing this plan, Mosquito decided to run away, fearful that he wouldn’t be able to best Bat in battle. He flew so fast that he couldn’t be seen. All that could be heard was the buzzing of his wings as he flew. But Bat was also fast, and he chased Mosquito. As Bat began to overcome Mosquito, Mosquito glanced back, only to fly directly into Spider’s web, where he was caught fast and destroyed. As the blood of the dying Mosquito flew in splatters in all directions, from each drop of blood was born a small mosquito, one with sharp stingers. These thousand sons of Mosquito still bite us today, and still must continue to elude Spider, who still spins a web to stop them, and Bat, who still hunts for them in the night.
Finally, Aesop tells the tale of a fox that crossed a river, only to find itself tangled up in a bush, unable to move. Seeing the predicament the fox was in, a group of mosquitoes decided to take advantage of the situation. They settled down upon him and began to dine on Fox’s blood.
A hedgehog strolls up and takes pity upon the poor fox. The hedgehog offers to drive away all of the mosquitoes that are biting the fox. The fox thanks the hedgehog for his offer but declines. When the hedgehog asks why, the fox says that the mosquitoes have already had all they could eat and that he fears if they’re driven away, more will come to take their place and, because of their voracious appetite, he will be bled to death.
Although these stories don’t offer any concrete advice on how to rid yourself of the pesky nuisances that are mosquitoes, they do provide an interesting background glance into the colorful history of the mosquito.
Understanding the Life Cycle of the Mosquito
The life cycle of the mosquito is fairly straightforward, having only four stages – egg, larva, pupa and adult.
Mosquitoes reproduce by laying eggs, usually in areas of standard water. They may lay eggs individually, as the Anopheles and Aedes genera do, or they may lay eggs close together so that the sticky eggs form a raft of 100 eggs or more, as Culex and Culiseta mosquitoes do. Additionally, the Aedes female lays her eggs on damp soil, where they will await rising flood waters before hatching. Most mosquitoes lay their eggs at night and adult females can lay eggs about every three days. In 48 hours, most eggs will hatch to reveal the larva inside.
During the larval stage, the mosquitoes will grow and molt their skin, becoming larger with each molting. The larvae live in water, but come to the surface to breathe, using a siphon tube to hang from the water’s surface and to breathe through. To grow, they eat organic material and micro-organisms in the water. When the larva molt for the fourth time, the mosquitoes enter the pupal stage. Mosquito larvae are frequently called wigglers or wrigglers. The length of this stage depends primarily on the water temperature – typically, it will vary from one to two weeks.
During the pupal – or tumbler – stage, the mosquito rests. In about two days, the pupae will split its skin and emerge as an adult. During this stage, the pupae doesn’t eat, instead saving it’s strength for its third and final transformation.
The final stage of life for the mosquito is the adult phase. The mosquito will be moist when it emerges from its pupal skin and will spend some time sitting on the surface of the water. During this time, it will spread its wings so that they can dry and all of its various parts will harden.
If you’ve ever been bitten by a mosquito, it was a female. Only the females bite because they need the blood to help them produce their eggs. Males prefer to take their meals by sipping the nectar of flowers. The most aggressive biters are from the Aedes and Culex genera. And although Aedes mosquitoes usually don’t enter the house, Culex mosquitoes have no such qualms.
How quickly the entire life cycle of an individual mosquito is accomplished depends on a number of factors, including the particular species and environmental circumstances. Heat plays an important role, with higher temperatures leading to less time spent in each of the first three stages.
In addition, there are a number of different ways to thwart the mosquito life cycle if you’re attempting to get rid of mosquitoes. The best methods attack the eggs and larva and don’t allow the insects to mature and reproduce. It also helps to reduce potential mosquito breeding sites at your home or office. If there’s standing water anywhere on or near your property, remove it or see that it’s treated with the necessary chemicals to kill any mosquito eggs that are hanging around.