While I was waiting for the bus this morning, I quickly realized that we were definitely in the middle of winter. As I was sitting there freezing, I began to actually miss blackflies, mosquitoes and all the other wonderful bugs of Spring. Yes, that is how cold I was this morning. Since I was missing these nasty little insects, I figured we would take a break from winter and learn a little more about one of the more popular mosquitoes out there, the Anopheles mosquito. What? You didn’t realize there were popular and unpopular mosquitoes? You will soon find out what makes the Anopheles mosquito so special.

A Special Vector

So does anyone know what makes the Anopheles mosquito important to humans? I will give you a hint. Out of the 460 species of Anopheles, there are a 100 species that you do not want to get bit by. Why? Well, these 100 species have been known to transmit a little disease I like to call Malaria. Have you heard of it? Of course you have and this is why the Anopheles mosquito is so special. Sure the Culex Mosquito transmits the West Nile Virus but I figure Malaria is more dangerous worldwide, which is why I chose the Anopheles for today’s Wild Fact.

A Day In The Life Of…

Other than their desire to transmit deadly diseases, the Anopheles mosquito is not much different than other mosquitoes out there. Just like their relatives, they have four life stages, which are egg, larva, pupa and imago. The first three stages occur in slow moving water (so make sure you remove those old tires and other rain traps) and will typically last between 5 and 14 days.  The female adult phase (known as the imago stage) can last up to a month, however, the male adults tend to only live for a week or so. This is the stage that humans are most familiar with as we are constantly dealing with the pesky adult females during our picnics, baseball games and fishing trips. As well, it is only in this stage that the Anopheles mosquito becomes a vector of deadly diseases such as Malaria. You will notice that I keep referring to the adult “females”. Yes, it is only the women that have a taste for blood as their male counterparts prefer to feast on nectar and are actually very important pollinators. The poor males get a bad name simply because of the vampire females. Life isn’t fair sometimes, right guys?

All this talk about malaria and mosquito bites has me wishing for winter. Good thing it is January in Canada… I don’t have to worry about mosquito bites for several months. As well, I will remember not to complain so much the next time I am freezing at the bus stop. Enjoy the rest of the day.