How do you give a mosquito indigestion?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

May 8, 2002

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Floodwater mosquitoes (Aedes spp.) [ay' dees] are aggravating creatures with species epithets that describe exactly how humans think of them. Stimulans (to stimulate), vexans (to vex), provocans (to provoke), sollicitans (to cause anxiety), and excrucians (to cause pain) are
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The mosquito females take a meal or two of blood from a bird or mammal (including humans) and often both, spread diseases.
A Biting Female Mosquito with Her Abdomen Filled with a Blood Meal
Darlyne A. Murawski Buy Photographic Print at AllPosters.com

just a few of the derogatory descriptors.

Aedes have learned to use plants and rainfall against us. The females take a meal or two of blood from a bird or mammal (including humans) and often both. Biting both birds and mammals spreads diseases like yellow fever, dengue fever, and encephalitis. The blood gives the female the protein she needs for her eggs. The Aedes lays her eggs on the base of a plant or sometimes on a surface above a waterline.

Aedes eggs must lie dormant through a dry spell until rain raises the water level or washes the eggs into a puddle. Even an old curled leaf or hoof print filled with rain are sufficient nurseries for the wrigglers.

Close-up of Anopheles Mosquito Larvae and Pupae in Several Stages of Development

The wrigglers (mosquito larvae) survive in deoxygenated (stagnant) water.
Close-up of Anopheles Mosquito Larvae and Pupae in Several Stages of Development Ira Block Buy Photographic Print at AllPosters.com

The wrigglers (mosquito larvae) survive in deoxygenated (stagnant) water. The puddles warm quickly and create a breeding ground for bacteria that the wrigglers eat. These puddles are also less likely to have predators like mosquito fish (Gambusa spp.) and dragonfly larvae.

Knowing that the wrigglers eat bacteria provides a means of controlling Aedes. Scientists in Israel discovered a strain of Bacillus thuringiensis (H-14), commonly called Bti, which disrupts the cells of the mosquito larvae's intestines. Bti simply provides the larvae with a meal that causes terminal indigestion.

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia has published information and a closeup of Aedes mosquitoe Aedes aegypti. To view the photograph, click on the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aedes

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia has published general information on mosquitoes and a closeup of a female Culiseta longiareolata as well as a photograph mosquito larvae. To learn more and to view the photographs, click on the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito

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For tranquil beauty, there's nothing to compare with a naturalized garden in some shady spot—a display that feels as though Mother Nature herself had chosen a complementary selection of shade-loving plants. For this Naturalized Shade Garden, Spring Hill has combined 39 special plants which can transform any shady area of approx. 60 sq. ft. into an island of serene beauty—a blend of textures with inspiring touches of color.

Included in this garden are three different varieties of hosta, which are delightful in combination with the arching fronds of hardy Ostrich Plume Fern. And for color, there are shade-loving plants which will be in bloom from spring well into late summer. All are easy to plant, and like a true naturalized garden, require only a minimum of care to provide years of charm and beauty. These coordinated plants can be arranged as a border, bed or to bring beauty to a north-facing corner or foundation - a place where you thought nothing except weeds would ever grow!

In this collection you will receive:

3 Ostrich Plume Ferns
1 Pink Bleeding Heart
15 Perennial Lily Bargain Bag
7 Daylily Bargain Bag
3 Mixed Monarda
1 Blue Hosta
1 Green and White Hosta
1 Royal Standard Hosta
1 Pink Dwarf Bleeding Heart
3 Chantreyland Violas
6 Lily-of-the-Valley
3 Forget-Me-Nots
3 Red Coral Bells

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This collection includes:

Ostrich Plume Fern (3), Luxuriant, graceful fronds reach a length of 24-36'' long and are 18'' wide.
Pink Bleeding Heart (1), Long, arching sprays drip with dozens of inflated pink heart-shaped flowers with dainty white tears.
Perennial Lily Bargain Bag (15), Asiatic lily varieties produce rich colored blooms.
Daylily Bargain Bag (7), The mainstay of the summer garden!
Mixed Monarda (3), A delightful mixture of white, pink, purple and red flower heads adorn gardens and borders for weeks.
Blue Hosta (1), Unusually large, blue-green leaves. Lavender blooms. This is a low maintenance ground cover.
Green and White Hosta (1), Two-tone ornamental with lilac flowers grows 15-20'' tall. Is a low maintenance ground cover.
Royal Standard Hosta (1), Shapely, lush foliage. Scented white flowers. Grows 24-30'' tall, 48'' across. Is a low maintenance ground cover.
Pink Dwarf Bleeding Heart (1), Super-hardy, carefree plant is covered with pink pendant flowers spring through early summer, again in fall.
Chantreyland Viola (3), "Everblooming" variety brings reliable rays of sunshine from early spring through summer.
Lily-of-the-Valley (6), Clusters of fragrant white bells on 8-10'' stems appear in mid to late spring amid emerald-green leaves.
Forget-Me-Nots (3), Decorative, low-growing perennial is loaded with hundreds of bright blue flowers.
Red Coral Bells (3), Graceful 15-20'' spikes with crimson flowers above mounds of light foliage .