Mosquito Facts
Did you know that…
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all mosquitoes must have water in which to complete their life cycle? |
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it only takes a week for a mosquito to develop when it is warm?
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mosquitoes never develop in grass or shrubbery although the adults
often rest there during daylight hours? |
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only the female bites to obtain a blood meal and that the male feeds on plant juices? |
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female mosquitoes may live as long as three weeks during the summer and many months in the winter? |
Control
The Shasta Mosquito and Vector Control District employs a comprehensive control program which involves a variety of carefully planned methods to control mosquito populations:
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Physical Control - Drain cleaning and other habitat modification projects reduce or eliminate mosquito breeding. |
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Biological Control - The mosquito-eating fish Gambusia affinis is planted in many impoundments and waterways. A single fish may consume over a hundred mosquito larvae in one day. |
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Chemical Applications - "Soft pesticides" are applied, which control only mosquito larvae and leave non-target organisms unaffected. |
The District's aim is to control mosquitoes when they are confined to the water as larvae. Controlling the flying adults would be ineffective and costly since they are dispersed throughout a larger geographical area.
What You Can Do
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INSIDE - On warm, sunny days, only screened windows and doors should be opened. Keep screens in good repair. If mosquitoes do get inside your house, they may be found resting on walls, under sinks, in closets, etc. Use a commercial insect spray and or swat them dead. |
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OUTSIDE - A commercial flying insect spray may be used in the patio and garden area. Personal application of insect repellent can provide relief. To make sure you are not breeding mosquitoes, empty or change weekly containers holding water, clean drainage courses to ensure moving water, and stock impoundments with mosquito-eating fish. |
FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS ON ANY PESTICIDES CAREFULLY.
The Mosquito Life Cycle
EGGS:
Many mosquitoes lay a mass of eggs on the 
water
which floats like a raft. Each raft contains from 100 to 400 eggs.
The eggs hatch in a day or so into larvae.
LARVA: The larva or "wiggler" comes to the surface to breathe through a tube called a siphon. It sheds its skin or molts four times during the next several days. It grows rapidly between each molt. On the fourth molt it changes into a pupa.
PUPA: The pupa or "tumbler" cannot eat. It breathes through two tubes on its back. The mosquito grows inside the pupa and in two days or so, when it is fully developed, it splits the pupal skin and emerges as an adult to complete the life cycle or metamorphosis of the mosquito.
ADULT: The newly emerged adult rests on the surface of the water until it is strong enough to fly away.
The
development time from egg to adult requires approximately one week.
Resources:
Do Mosquitoes Transmit Diseases to Man?
Information about diseases with an emphasis on AIDS
Mosquitoes Commonly Found in The District
Information about mosquitoes commonly found in the district
Are You Raising Mosquitoes in Your Backyard?
Information about what you can do to minimize mosquito problems
For More Information:
(530)
365-3768
