Certain Mosquitoes More Likely to Lay Eggs in Water Sources Near Flowers

Certain mosquitoes are more likely to lay eggs in water sources near flowers than in water sources without flowers, according to an article published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

 

Researchers from the USDA and the University of Florida studied the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and its egg-laying preferences. This mosquito is known to transmit yellow fever, dengue, and chikungunya, and it has been spreading throughout the United States.

 

Asian tiger mosquitoes prefer to lay eggs in containers, so the first thing the scientists decided to test was whether the size of the containers made any difference. They were also curious about whether or not the presence of flowers might affect the egg-laying behavior, due to the fact that mosquitoes drink nectar from flowers.

 

The researchers studied female mosquitoes that had been fed bloodmeals and released in large cages with water containers flowering buttterfly bushes (Buddleja davidii).

 

They found significantly more eggs in the largest containers, and they found more eggs in containers next to flowering bushes than in containers without flowers.

 

These findings could lead to new methods of controlling the mosquito.

 

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Source: Entomological Society of America