Mosquito Facts

The mosquito, from the Spanish and Portuguese word for little fly, belongs to the insect family Culicidae. This prevalent pest goes through four stages in their life-cycle: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Of these four phases, the first three take place within water, which can be a large still pond or a small sand bucket with standing rainwater. Mosquitoes feed on several sources, including human blood, with their heaviest feedings done at dusk and dawn. As vector agents, mosquitoes are capable of carrying diseases and parasites from person to person without contracting the disease themselves. Among the most serious of these diseases is Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus or EEE which infects horses and more rarely humans. As disease carriers, these insects are more than pests, threatening the well-being of families.