Mosquitoes 101 



portant enemies of the mosquitoes. Great schools 

 of tide-water minnows (Fig. 93) are often carried 

 over the low salt-marshes by the extreme high- 

 tides and left in the hundreds of tide pools as the 

 tide recedes. No mosquitoes can breed in a pool 

 thus stocked with these fish. In the fresh-water 

 streams and lakes there are several species of the 

 top-minnows, sticklebacks (Fig. 94), etc., that feed 

 voraciously on mosquito larvas and unless the grass 

 or reeds prevent the fish from getting to all parts of 

 the ponds or lakes very few mosquitoes can breed 

 in places where they are present. 



Minute red mites such as attack the house-flies 

 and other insects sometimes attack adult mosqui- 

 toes, but they are rarely very abundant. Parasitic 

 roundworms attack certain species. Others suffer 

 more or less from the attacks of various Sporozoan 

 parasites. 



FIGHTING MOSQUITOES 



When mosquitoes are bothering us we usually 

 begin by trying to kill the individual pests that are 

 nearest to us. We try to crush them if they bite us; 

 we screen the doors and windows to keep them 

 from the house. In warmer countries the people 

 are a little more hospitable and do not screen the 

 mosquitoes out of the house entirely, but screen the 

 beds for protection at night, and if the mosquitoes 



