Skeeter Meters

1. Skeeter Meters Dale Witt, Teacher and Kelly Sims, Student University of Florida SPICE 2008

2. Mosquitoes • Small, long-legged, two-winged flies • ~3500 species worldwide • ~165 species in North America • Undergo “complete metamorphosis” • Four distinct life stages-egg, larva, pupa and adult • Adults feed upon the blood of man and animals or plant juices

3. General life cycle of mosquitoes Art Cushman, USDA; Property of the Smithsonian Institution, Department of Entomology, Bugwood.org

4. The eggs • Eggs deposited on the water surface (Culex and Anopheles) or near water (Aedes) • Females will deposit 50-500 eggs at one time • Each egg is protected by an egg shell • Some eggs hatch within 1-3 days (Culex and Anopheles); others can survive for months or years (Aedes)

5. Culex pipiens Susan Ellis, , Bugwood.org

6. The eggs

7. The larvae • Aquatic stage • Wide range of habitats from fresh to brackish water • Breath atmospheric oxygen via an air siphon • Most filter feeders, some predacious

8. The larvae

9. The larvae

10. The pupae • Aquatic stage • Breathe through ‘respiratory trumpets’ • Metamorphosis completed within 1-2 days • Pupae swallows air to increase internal pressure which causes the thoracic cuticle to split allowing the adult to emerge

11. The pupae

12. The adults • Hind wings modified as ‘halteres’ to assist in flight control • Life span of adults from a few days to several weeks • Long range (body odor and CO2) and short range cues (temperature) attract the adult to the host • Specialized mouth parts for penetrating the host cuticle, saliva releases anti-coagulants

13. The adults • Both males and females feed on sugar in plant juices; only females take blood meals • Most females feed on mammals or birds but some feed on cold-blooded animals (reptiles and amphibians) • Egg laying occurs about 3 days post-feeding • Blood proteins are necessary for egg production

14. Susan Ellis, , Bugwood.org

15. Mosquito habitats • Running water • Permanent water • Transient or flood water • Artificial containers

16. Running water • Few mosquito species breed in running waters such as streams • Larvae flushed out when stream volume increases • Requires large amounts of energy to remain in the stream • Stream breeders use vegetation along banks to anchor themselves

17. Running water

18. Permanent water • Present for extended periods of time and support characteristic aquatic vegetation (cattails, rushes, and sedges) • Eggs not dessicant-resistant • Associated with a seasonal change in vegetation, water quality, and mosquito species

19. Permanent water

20. Transient or flood water • Includes flooded areas, snowpools, and ditches • Eggs can withstand dessication and life cycle requires alternating periods of wet and dry • Transient waters show water quality changes which results in various mosquito species using the same pool over extended times

21. Transient or flood water

22. Containers • Can be natural or artificial • Provides protection from weather extremes

23. Containers

24. Containers

25. Water quality also plays an important role • Nutrients • All plants require nutrients for growth. In aquatic environments, nutrient availability usually limits plant growth and when nutrients are introduced into water at higher rates, aquatic plant productivity dramatically increases. (www.scorecard.org)

26. Nutrients

27. Water quality also plays an important role • Nutrients • All plants require nutrients for growth. In aquatic environments, nutrient availability usually limits plant growth and when nutrients are introduced into water at higher rates, aquatic plant productivity dramatically increases. (www.scorecard.org) • Acids • Acid rain primarily affects sensitive bodies of water whose soils have a limited ability to neutralize acidic compounds (called “buffering capacity”). Lakes and streams become acidic when the water and its surrounding soil cannot buffer the acid rain enough to neutralize it.. In areas where buffering capacity is low, acid rain releases aluminum from soils into lakes and streams; aluminum is highly toxic to many species of aquatic organisms. (www.epa.gov)

28. Acid Rain • Precipitation that has a pH of less than that of natural rainwater • It is formed when sulphur dioxides and nitrogen oxides combine with water vapor and precipitate as sulphuric acid or nitric acid • Caused by natural and human sources 0 7 14 More acidic More basic

29. Water quality also plays an important role • Nutrients • All plants require nutrients for growth. In aquatic environments, nutrient availability usually limits plant growth and when nutrients are introduced into water at higher rates, aquatic plant productivity dramatically increases. (www.scorecard.org) • Acids • Acid rain primarily affects sensitive bodies of water whose soils have a limited ability to neutralize acidic compounds (called “buffering capacity”). Lakes and streams become acidic when the water and its surrounding soil cannot buffer the acid rain enough to neutralize it.. In areas where buffering capacity is low, acid rain releases aluminum from soils into lakes and streams; aluminum is highly toxic to many species of aquatic organisms. (www.epa.gov) • Storm water • Storm water picks up many pollutants, including soaps. Soaps have varying insecticidal effects against certain groups of insects, depending on the kind and proportions of fatty acids and base used. Soaps kill insects on contact by paralyzing them, disrupting membranes, and affecting their growth and development.. (www.rainyside.com)

30. Storm Water

31. But are mosquitoes really all that bad? Mosquitoes as vectors of disease • Throughout history, mosquitoes have been pests of mankind but were not identified as agents responsible for transmission of diseases until the late 19th century • Transmit protists, viruses, bacteria and nematodes

32. Mosquitoes are actually important for many species!!! Frogs Mosquito fish Bats Spiders Lizards Dragonflies Even plants! Birds

33. What can you do? • Do not allow water to stand in containers such as potted plant saucers, pet bowls, wading pools, etc. • Replace water in bird baths • Make sure that rain gutters are draining properly • Do not encourage the gathering of birds on your property (source of encephalitis viruses)