Mosquito Information

Mosquitoes are named after the Spanish or Portuguese word meaning little fly.

Mosquitoes are famous for being annoying pests; the females of the species require protein for egg development and will gather it through the blood of other animals by biting them. In many parts of the world mosquitoes are considered more of a threat than a simple annoyance because they sometimes carry diseases that can cause serious illness or death.

Mosquitoes vary in size, but are rarely larger than half an inch. They have a narrow body and long skinny legs. Behind their scaled wings are a pair of halteres, two dumbbell like structures that are flapped to provide stability and balance to the mosquito during flight. Most females mosquitoes have a proboscis, a long tube like appendage that is used to suck the blood of other living organisms.