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Picture of an adult mosquito taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk/indonesian/learningenglish/030219_bangladesh.shtml

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THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE MOSQUITO

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At some point or another, we have all been plagued by the mosquito.  Their blood sucking is legendary and they have the ability to not only ruin holidays but also spread life threatening diseases.  Although much research has been carried out to try to discover why some people seem to be more attractive to mosquitoes than others no conclusive answers have been found although it is generally accepted that carbon dioxide, temperature, moisture, smell, colour and movement all play a part.  

If you're unfortunate enough, like me, to be seemingly irresistible to these pests then you will be used to plastering on the mosquito repellent whenever possible to try to deter their biting.  This site will look briefly into the life cycle of the mosquito but will mainly focus on the chemistry of mosquito prevention by looking at the various repellents and insecticides available to keep mosquitoes at bay.

Anyone who has seen Jurassic Park will know that mosquitoes have been around as long as the dinosaurs, writers have mentioned mosquitoes for as long as they've been writing.  Much is known of the life cycle of the mosquito with the first written information being produced by Aristotle in 300 B.C.   The modern name "mosquito" is thought to have originated in North America in the late 16th century and is a Hispanic word meaning "little fly".  

There are more than 3000 different species of mosquito around the world and new species are still being discovered.  As half the population will tell you, there is no surprise in the fact that it is only female mosquitoes that bite humans.  The two following video clips are not very pleasant if you're squeamish, or indeed if you have been bitten and don't want to see what a mosquito did to you!

mosquito filling up with blood taken from http://www-rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/mosvid.htm

mosquito inserting proboscis into host taken from http://www-rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/mosvid.htm