The dengue mosquito (Aedes aegypti) belongs to the Order Diptera and Family Culcidae. It is an introduced species found in Queensland, and has also been known in Western Australia, the Northern Territory and southern New South Wales. I feel it is also now found in other parts of Australia as well.
It is a pest mosquito and can be a carrier of Dengue Fever, Murray Valley encephalitis. Ross River virus and of course malaria. The female mosquito is dark coloured with white markings on the back and white bands on the legs. The thorax is dark with a lighter curved marking on each side and two light stripes running down the centre. The size is 3-4mm in length.
Adult mosquitoes may be found near houses and will bite during the day or evening. It is the female that feeds on blood; the males feeds on the nectar of flowers. (I certainly prefer the male of the species in this instance).
The female lays her eggs in water. When first laid the egg are white but soon turn black. The larvae feed on bacteria in the water.
I am very fortunate that mosquitoes don't seem to like me very much and yet my daughter and, in particular, one of her daughters are always prone to being attacked and bitten by the little beasties. The three of us can sit together and they will be bitten and I won't. I sometimes feel as if something is hovering around my legs but no bites result. I have researched why this may be the case and I find that people with type O blood are more susceptible than those with type A while those with type B sort of fall in between A and B. I am sure my daughter and granddaughter are all type A the same as me so there must be more to it than that. I also found that the amount of carbon dioxide we breath out may also be an attractant to mosquitoes and also if one drinks beer. Neither of of we three drink beer so that rules out beer. Overweight people also tend to get bitten more (so 'they' say) and yet I know quite skinny people that also are bitten regularly. I feel there is a lot more work to be done by scientists before they find out the true reasons why some people's blood tastes delicious to mosquitoes while that of other people apparently does not. I just hope anyone who reads this manages to avoid mosquito bites this summer or, for that matter, at any time during the year.
