Community Life Volume 19 No. 3 | Page 20

M •• o ••

With all the rain we have had , the mosquitoes are appearing . Now we need to keep them away from our animals and ourselves .

To attract mosquitoes , there needs to be a water source and a shaded area where they can rest . Female mosquitoes can lay up to 300 eggs . These eggs can hatch in 2-3 days . The larvae of the mosquitoes eat the green algae in the water where they hatched . Stagnant water is the best for the mosquitoes . The adult mosquito forms in 5-14 days .
During the heat of the day , the mosquitoes will rest in grass or shrubbery . The female mosquito is the one that bites people and animals to draw blood . The blood helps to feed the eggs . Both the male and the female mosquito will eat nectar and other plant sugars . Most of the mosquitoes feed at dawn and at dusk .
There are many ways to control mosquitoes . Both chemical and organic methods are available and both seem to work .
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