MOSQUITOES CAUSE IRRITATION TO HUMANS AND LIVESTOCK AND PROMOTE THE SPREAD OF DISEASES SUCH AS ROSS RIVER VIRUS

The piercing and sucking feeding action of the female is an annoyance to humans. Typically mosquitoes will be attracted to warmth, dampness or moisture and an elevated level of carbon dioxide in the air.

Mosquitoes and midges

Everyone knows how annoying – and painful – midges and mosquitoes can be. Somehow, no matter how many you manage to swat, there always seem to be some that manage to get through to give you a nasty, itchy bite or two.

Here are some facts that you might want to know about these nasty little insects:

  • They can develop from eggs to adults in just six to ten days.
  • They are found close to still water, where their larvae feed and develop.
  • They seem to be attracted to bright colours.
  • Mosquitoes will normally bite you at dawn or dusk – or if you’re unlucky, both. That’s when their internal clocks tell them it’s feeding time.

Signs of mosquitoes

Mosquitoes and midges can make life unpleasant. Constantly having to track down that high-pitched whine can be a pain. And when you’ve found the culprit there always seems to be another one waiting in the wings.

Simple Prevention

Mosquitoes breed in standing water, Pestpro recommend that you have a fountain in ponds. Other sources of standing water can be the water trays on pot plants, low lying areas and swamps etc. In summer months their population can grow rapidly.

Our Process

Anopheles MosquitoAppearance

  • Adult – pale and dark marks on its wings and resting 45 degree angle to the surface.
  • Larval rest parallel to surface of the water.
  • Egg is about 1mm long and has floats on its sides.

Life Cycle

  • Egg to adult stage takes 6 – 10 days.
  • Complete metamorphosis – egg, larval, pupa and adult.

Habits

  • Habitat – prefer clean and unpolluted water.
  • Biting rhythm – bite at night and rest indoor and outdoor (depends on species).
  • Prefer darker colours.
  • Female with one blood meal can lay 50 – 150 eggs.

Culex MosquitoAppearance

  • Adult – thorax, legs and veins on the wings are always covered with brown scales. Dull in colour. The tip of the abdomen is always blunt.
  • Larval rest 45 degree from the surface of the water.
  • Egg is brown, long and cylindrical, vertical on water surface, cemented in a raft of 300 eggs. Raft usually 3 – 4mm long and 2 – 3mm wide.

Life Cycle

  • Egg to adult stage takes 6 – 10 days.
  • Complete metamorphosis – egg, larval, pupa and adult.

Habits

  • Habitat – mainly breed in polluted stagnant water and drains.
  • Biting rhythm – bite at night and usually rest indoor before and after the blood meal. Sometimes they may rest outdoor.
  • Prefer darker colours.
  • Long distance fliers.

Biting MidgeAppearance

  • Small flying insect.
  • Adult midges are about 1.5 – 4.0mm long.

Life Cycle

  • Lifespan of 20 to 30 days.
  • Hatched from eggs.
  • Egg batches contain between 30-100 eggs.
  • 1 to 2 day larvae stage.

Habits

  • Lives near lakes and ponds, rivers and streams and general wetlands.
  • Feeds on blood.
  • Tendency to swarm.
  • Most active at dusk and dawn.