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Mosquito
(John Obermeyer, Purdue University)

Common Name: Mosquito

Order: Diptera

Family: Culicidae

Pest Status: Mosquitoes are the most serious pests threatening human health in the world.

Appearance: Most mosquitoes are 1/4 to 1/2-inches long and have two wings covered in scales. Males differ from females by having feathery antennae and mouthparts incapable of piercing skin.

Life Cycle: Female mosquitoes lay their eggs together in rafts on the surface of water. Most eggs hatch into larvae in about two days. The larvae live in the water for two weeks until they pupate. The pupae float on the surface of the water. The adults emerge in two days. Most mosquito species overwinter as eggs.

Where to Collect: Most adults remain fairly close to the breeding site that they lived in as larvae. Collectors seldom have to look far in these locations, as the mosquitoes will come to them.