Aedes aegypti mosquito life cycle (eggs-top, larva-right, pupa-bottom, adult-left).
Mosquitoes can be an annoying, serious problem in man's domain throughout Florida. They interfere with work and spoil hours of leisure time. Their attacks on farm animals can cause loss of weight and decreased milk production. Some mosquitoes are capable of transmitting diseases such as malaria, yellow fever and dengue to man, encephalitis to man and horses, and heartworm to dogs. Common mosquitoes are the black salt marsh mosquito and the Asian tiger mosquito.
Mosquitoes are insects with long slender bodies, narrow wings with a fringe of scales on the edge of the wing and along the veins, and long, thin legs. The females have firm mouthparts, usually well-adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood. The males cannot suck blood but both sexes feed on nectar of various plants.
The life cycle of a mosquito consists of four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The eggs may be laid singly or in rafts, deposited in water, on the sides of containers where water will soon cover, or on damp soil where they can hatch when flooded by rainwater or high tides.
Aedes aegypti mosquito life cycle (eggs-top, larva-right, pupa-bottom,
adult-left).
Aedes aegypti mosquito larva
Aedes aegypti adult
Black flies (Simuliidae) are small, dark, stout-bodied flies with a humpbacked appearance. The adult females suck blood mainly during daylight hours and are not host specific. The black fly is a potential disease vector in Florida. It hovers about the eyes, ears, and nostrils of man and animals, often alighting and puncturing the skin with an irritating bite. Black flies are not considered to be major pests of Florida homeowners.
The black fly life cycle begins with eggs deposited on logs, rocks, or solid surfaces in swiftly flowing streams. Larvae attach themselves to rocks or vegetation with a posterior sucker. The length of the larval period is quite variable depending on the species and the larval environment. The adults which emerge after pupation are strong fliers and may fly 7 to 10 miles from their breeding sites.
