Mosquito Habitat

The female mosquito, when she wants to lay her eggs would look for standing water, preferably one that has stayed untouched for long. Swamps, ponds and marshes are their favorite. Being a highly adaptable creature, the mosquito can thrive in a habitat that isn’t naturally theirs. Without water, the mosquito life-cycle can’t be sustained, because mosquito eggs need water to hatch.

Mosquitoes thrive well in areas that are moist and humid, typically tropical areas. Strangely, researchers have discovered that certain specie of mosquitoes inhabit sub-zero areas mostly in the Arctic Circle.

Different species of female mosquitoes lay their eggs in different habitats. The eggs when they eventually evolve and become larvae would find their way to woodland pools, floodwater and ponds where environmental conditions are favorable. Mosquito species like the Coquillettidia, Anopheles, Uranotaeniaand Culisetafind breeding grounds like polluted water, freshwater, water swamps and even acidic water favorable for breeding. Mosquitoes when they come into our homes would lay their eggs in standing water contained in containers, drainage and ditches.

How mosquitoes relate with water

Mosquitoes relate with water differently from the way most other insects, especially the non-aquatic ones. Talking about aquatic animals, they are basically of two types: those that are capable of breathing inside water (fishes) and those that live in water but have to come to the surface to breath (mosquitoes and whale). Mosquitoes, though an aquatic creature isn’t equipped to breathe inside water, and so has to come to the surface at regular time intervals to suck in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide.

Without water, it would be extremely difficult if not impossible for mosquito eggs to go through their development stages. Upon reaching adulthood, the female mosquito after receiving sperm from the male would look for an ideal site, most times a water body to deposit her eggs. The eggs needed to be soaked up in water before hatching. Even at pupae stage, the mosquito still needs water to crack open its cocoon before emerging as an adult. The adult would then wait for a day or so to dry before taking off.

After reaching adulthood, the male mosquito will have to wait for about 3 days for his sex organs to develop, after which he would go looking for a ready-to-mate female. The female on her part would go blood hunting after receiving sperm from the male. While standing water of moist soil serve as a breeding site for mosquitoes, the actual breeding has very little to do with wherever the water source comes from.

At larvae and pupae stage, the mosquito feeds on aquatic materials, particulate matter and microorganisms. Mosquitoes at their aquatic stage is often preyed upon by animals like fishes and birds.