10 N. J. Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin 348 



the nectar of plants and other plant juices, and the males, are 

 practically never seen. The male may easily be distinguished from 

 the female by the fact that its antennas are very feathery. Only 

 the female bites. 



Eggs are laid on water or in the moist mud. In a longer or short- 

 er time, depending on temperature and moisture, the egg is burst 

 open and the wriggler emerges. In a longer or shorter time, de- 

 pending on temperature and food supply (organic matter of various 

 sorts), the wriggler reaches maturity and transforms to the pupa. 

 The pupa can move rather freely but takes no food. Within the 

 pupal skin, changes go on that transform the wriggler into a winged 

 adult. 



Fig. 2. Mosquito filling herself with blood. "It is the blood hunger of the 

 mosquito that renders it an economic species." 



The length of time necessary to pass from egg to adult depends on 

 the species and on the temperature. The shortest time is about 8 

 days. The winter is passed in the egg, larva or adult stages. The 

 number of broods depends on the species and the temperature, and 

 ranges from one to many. 



It is the blood hunger of the mosquito that renders it an eco- 

 nomic species. This blood hunger induces the mosquito to follow 

 and bite us, even under great difficulties. 



How a Mosquito Bites 



As soon as a mosquito settles upon the skin she begins the process 

 of piercing it. The end of the beak is set against the surface and 

 the lancets, which it shelters, begin to drive their way in. As 

 they penetrate more and more deeply the beak covering bends at or 

 near the middle permitting the head, without itself entering the 

 wound, to come closer and closer to the skin. 



The beak covering, which is' the only member of the mouth ap- 

 pendages seen by the ordinary observer, corresponds to the labium or 



