Floodwater mosquitoes such as Aedes vexans lay their eggs in damp places just above the water line of temporay ponds. The eggs hatch after a warm rain and may produce a new generation of adults in as little as a week. Eggs can also remain dormant for over two years during drought conditions. Ojibway's largest species, Psorophora ciliata , is found only during wet summers when other mosquitoes are abundant. Their larvae are carnivorous and each one consumes dozens of smaller mosquito larvae.
Chiggers are a formidable animal of the prairie.
Each year from mid June into September hikers hesitate before stepping off a trail, knowing these tiny beasts are lurking in wait. Chiggers are found in open grassy areas such as marshes, prairies and old fields. They wait patiently, for weeks if needed, for a host to brush past. Chiggers do not burrow under the skin but simply insert straw-like mouthparts for a leisurely meal of lymph fluids and digested cells. The mite then drops off never again to feed on a human.