Mosquito Control
Mosquitoes in Malaysia
However, only the genera Anopheles , Aedes , Culex and Mansonia are of medical importance.
Four types of Mosquitoes in Malaysia
Anopheles
Anopheles also can serve as the vectors for canine heartworm Dirofilaria immitis, the filariasis-causing species Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi, and viruses such as one that causes O'nyong'nyong fever.
Aedes
Members of the Aedes genus are known vectors for numerous viral infections. Viruses that cause dengue fever, yellow fever, West Nile fever, chikungunya, and eastern equine encephalitis.
Culex
Vectors of important diseases, such as West Nile virus, filariasis, Japanese encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis and avian malaria.
Mansonia
Mansonia mosquitoes are big, black or brown mosquitoes with sparkling on their wings and legs. Transmit various arboviruses, including Venezuelan equine encephalitis.Mansonioides transmit several arboviruses, Brugian filariasis. Mansonia uniformis, is a vector of Wuchereria bancrofti.
Life cycle:
Female mosquitoes lay about 30-300 eggs at one time. Eggs are black or brown in color and 1mm or less. In most culinices , the eggs are elongate or oval in shape and laid on the water surface in a raft, but eggs of Mansonia are cylinder and pointed apically and laid in a sticky mass on the underside of aquatic plants. Adedes do not lay their eggs on the water surface, but laid singly above the water line on a moist substrate and can withstand desiccation for months. Eggs of anophelines are boat-shaped and laid singly on the surface of the water.
With a few exceptions, a female mosquito must bite and take blood meal for egg. After a blood meal the mosquito’s abdomen becomes dilated and bright red in color, later becoming a darker red.
As the blood is digested, eggs are formed and the abdomen becomes whitish posterioly and dark red anteriorly . At this stage the mosquito is half gravid. When all the blood is finally digested and the eggs are fully formed , the mosquito is said to be gravid and ready to lay its eggs.
After eggs-laying or ovipostion the female mosquitoes ready for anther blood meal. The process of blood feeding , digestion and egg formation followed by oviposition is called the gonotropic cycle. In the tropics it takes about 2-3 days, but in colder temperate countries it takes between 7 -14 days.
