The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-12-12

eggs are laid singly, forty to fifty OF
more at time, and require four q
five days for Matching The larva,
have a very short siphon.
All Blood Suckers.
Now as to the habits of mosquitoes
They are all blood sucking, and il
seems that some are unable to lay
fertile eggs without sucking blood
Yet the statement is repeatedly made
that probably not one mosquito in a
thousand ever bites warm blooded
animal. The evidence in support of
this statement is entirely presump.
tive. but it seems more or less reason.
able in view of the great swarms of
mosquitoes produced in arctic regions
and on the desert where animals are
excessively scarce. The natural food
of mosquitoes is said to be the juices
of plants, and some species are kept
alive in confinement for long periods
by feeding them on certain fruits.
Whether they have ever been propa-
gated through continuous generations
without sucking blood | do not know.
As to their breeding places, there IS
a great deal of diversity The AnO-
phelCs, in my experience, seem to pre-
fer quiet standing water such as is
found in disused wells containing
algous growths. Yet they are not al
ways so particular and are very
abundant mosquito in some localities.
They breed largely in swamps in some
places, and in India are found m
many natural bodies OF water. typ
/ zeal Culicines lay their eggs i'm almost
any kind of water in any situation
and do not favor particular situations
nearly as much as other mosquitoes
do. They have been taken in clear.
fresh water, in rain barrels and water
/ troughs as well as in water very much
/ contaminated. If anything distin-
cuisines them, you might say they are
/ the larvae of the mud puddle, for
they are the one kind of mosquito
you will find universally i'm puddles.
Some species develop in salt water.
/ The Stegomyias, on the other hand,
favor clear water, especially rain
water and well water although
have found them in water badly
fouled by decaying vegetation. But
they are distinctly the larvae OF artl-
fetal collections Of water. Perhaps
this is largely responsible for he
idea that they are always found
around habitations
The food of the larvae varies con
siderably. | have already mentioned
some which are cannibalistic, others
which are carniyorous; for the most
part, however the larvae feed on
micro.organisms contained in water;
protozoons, minute crustaceans, bits
Of decayiug insects, or of algae The
larvae Of Anopheles are said to live
largely on the spores of algae
While the period of incubation Of
the egg of mosquitoes seems to be
fairly uniform for species, the larval
development depends very largely on
the factors Of temperature and food.
Species which can go through these
stages in two weeks time under ia
vorablo conditions may worry along
for three or four months i'm cold
weather and with little food The
development Of the eggs may also re
slowed down by subiecting them to
frigid temperatures. In regions with
we'll defined winter season, hiber-
nation is a common phenomenon.
Powers of Flight.
Now as to the powers of flight OF
the adults. 1t is only reasonable to
assume that the powers of flight of
such frail bodied insects are very lin
tied, and | think all the evidence
which has been collected bears this
out, so that it may be said as a gen
eral proposition that the breeding
places of mosquitoes are close to
where the mosquitoes collect. At he
same time mosquitoes do get over
some ground, and it is not at all I'M
common to trace the breeding places
of mosquitoes an eighth or a quarter
or even a half mile from the place
where they are causing annoyance,
The frequently observed phenomenon
of swarms Of males collecting in the
air and subsequent mating also points
to some powers of sustained flight
On the other hand, mosquitoes are
| frequently borne by favorable winds
for great distances, and the common
observation of mosquitoes hiding or
resting in vegetation points to the