Female mosquitoes require a blood meal in order to produce eggs. As the female pierces the skin of warm-blooded animals and feeds on the blood, she injects saliva into the victim. The irritation that occurs after a mosquito bites is due to this saliva. The female may travel from one victim to the next extracting blood and injecting saliva which has the potential to transmit disease-producing organisms from one host to another. The male does not suck blood but instead, feeds on the nectar of flowers, fruit juices and water.
Mosquitoes require stagnant water in order to hatch and develop.
When the larvae are fully grown, they transform into pupae which do not feed, but will still move actively in the water. When the adult is ready to emerge, the pupa floats to the surface and the skin splits down the back allowing the newly developed adult to emerge. The adult then leaves the body of water, in search of vegetation or moist shady places. The main factors to be considered in controlling mosquitoes are prevention and personal protection. Personal protection involves reducing your exposure to the blood sucking females.