I'll bet you never wanted this much mosquito information. You might think you know all the facts about mosquitoes but with mosquitoes living in nearly every habitat on Earth, they are important insects to know about. More money is spent on controlling them than on any other insect. They are the only vectors of malaria, yellow fever and dengue to humans. They also transmit heartworm to dogs and viral encephalitis to horses, making them dangerous to animals as well as humans.

Female mosquitoes are the only ones that bite and suck blood. They do this to nourish their eggs with the protein from blood. Males feed on nectar. There is some false mosquito information out there, including the fact that bats will kill mosquitoes. The truth is, they won't eat enough to make a difference, and so bats are not a good method of mosquito control.

Mosquitoes lay their eggs in water or in places where water will be, such as ground depressions that will fill up after rain. The eggs hatch in water; the larvae and pupae develop in water. Mosquitoes are peculiar because they have an active pupal stage. In almost all other insects, the pupal stage is a resting period and is totally inactive. Mosquito pupae regularly move to the surface of the water to breathe.

A Bite of Mosquito Information

Female mosquitoes bite with a body part called the probiscis, which males don't have. It's sharp and thin so you may not feel it going into your skin. Mosquito saliva contains anticoagulants so your blood doesn't clot while they feed. Afterward, you get the classic mosquito bite itch, which lasts until your body breaks down the protein in the mosquito saliva left in your skin.