Mosquitoes Mosquito is a common insect which belongs to the family Culicidae. The word mosquito is of Spanish and Portuguese origin which means ‘little fly’. A mosquito passes through four stages in its life cycle i.e. egg, larva, pupa and adult. The adult mosquito is also called an imago. Eggs are laid by adult females in standing water like puddles, lakes, ponds, or buckets etc. The life of an adult mosquito is four-eight weeks. The mouthparts of mosquitoes are adapted to pierce the skin of animals and plants. Males feed on nectar and the juices of plants while the females need to feed on blood to get nutrients in order to lay eggs. More than 3500 species of mosquitoes are to be found in the world. The females in some species feed on humans and become the cause of many infectious diseases. Egg development and blood digestion are two very important events in the life of female mosquitoes. They serve as a vector to transfer viruses and parasites from one person to another. Mosquito control is crucial for getting rid of harmful mosquitoes and the diseases spread by them. It is estimated that mosquitoes spread diseases to more than 700 million people of Asia, Africa, Mexico, Central America and South America. Many deaths are the result of infectious diseases caused by the bites of mosquitoes. When mosquito control was less widespread, thousands of deaths were caused each year. Malaria and yellow fever were known to be caused by mosquito bites. West Nile virus is also transmitted by mosquitoes. Dengue virus and Encephalitis are other infectious diseases caused by mosquitoes. Natural predators of mosquitoes include the dragonfly which helps control the population of mosquitoes by eating them. The reaction to the bites of mosquitoes can be immediate or delayed. The irritation on the bites is due to immunity response. Several anti-itch medicines are available on the market. Some medications are taken orally while others are for external use only. Itching can be reduced by applying an adhesive tape on the area of bite or sucking the area with a straw. A very effective anti-inflammatory agent is tree oil, which reduces itching. Insecticides can also be used to kill the larvae of the mosquito. Source reduction is a very effective way to control mosquitoes by removing stagnant water. Biocontrol is another remedy by which natural enemies of mosquitoes are used to manage their population. Chemical pesticides can kill adult mosquitoes because they are most the harmful from the point of view of spreading. DDT was used for the control of mosquitoes on a large scale but now it’s use is banned in some countries. Different types of repellents are used to deter mosquitoes from attacking. DEET is used as an effective repellent. Picaridin and IR3535 are also very widely used CDC-recommended repellents. Oil of Eucalyptus is a natural repellent and it is highly recommended. It is very important to take safety measures to protect yourself from the infectious diseases carried by mosquitoes. Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on a number of topics, but is currently involved with
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