Dangerous Creatures: Mosquito

(Almost worldwide)

   A single locust, or one termite, doesn’t look like it could cause much trouble. But when they appear in their thousands, watch out!
   Mosquitoes, including their larvae, are food for other insects. As well as for frogs, toads, lizards, birds and bats.
   From the nymph stage to adulthood, mosquitoes have good reason to fear dragonflies.
   Disease and infection. Besides the mosquito, blame the flesh-fly and the cockroach. But remember, they also dispose of waste.
   Many pesticides wipe out all insects – including beneficial ones like dung flies and cockroaches.
   The Anopheles mosquito can carry dangerous protozoan from person to person.
   Video: Mosquitoes go through their larval and pupal stages in water, before finally developing their adult wings. Only the females bite. They need blood to develop their eggs.
   Advice: Do you want to keep the mosquito population down around your house? Don’t leave water standing in containers. Even an old tin can become a breeding ground. Instead, try putting up a house for insect-eating birds or bats.

Next: Mosquitoes lay their eggs on water. So you’ll find mosquitoes in many wetland environments.