A closer look at mosquitoes
As annoying as mosquitoes can be, they play a vital role in the environment.
BLUFF-BASED nature enthusiast Warren Dick reckons mosquitoes are probably at the bottom of the food chain, but they play a very important role as a lot of juvenile insects won’t make it past their first few weeks of life if it were not for mosquitoes.
Small fish, dragonfly larvae, young frogs, spiderlings and geckos all feed on mosquitoes. The word mosquito is a Spanish word which means ‘little fly’, and their family name is Culididae. According to Warren, there are about 3 600 different species of mosquitoes worldwide.
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The Tiger Mosquito seems to be the most prevalent mosquito found in the Durban area. As the larvae live in water, they feed on aquatic algae and other organic materials. In the pupae stage, they still live in water but don’t feed. The larvae and pupae are an important food source for small fish, dragonflies and even for some bird species. As adults, only the female mosquito sucks blood – this is in order to get enough protein and iron to be able to produce eggs. Adult male mosquitoes only feed on flower nectar.
The Tiger Mosquito is an invasive species from India, which has been transported to most tropical and subtropical areas in the world through the transport industry.
It is the mosquito’s saliva that is transferred to you when they bite you that causes the itchy bump. Many species of mosquito can ingest pathogens while biting and transmit them to future hosts while feeding. Some of these diseases include malaria, filariasis, yellow fever and more. Fortunately, we do not get these diseases in the Durban area.
Elephant Mosquitoes are also found in Durban, and as the name suggests, they are huge – about three times the size of the Tiger Mosquito, but they do not drink blood. As adults, both males and females only feed on flower nectar, but as larvae, they feed on the larvae of other biting mosquitoes. The Elephant Mosquito is metallic blue in colour.
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