Surely in your garden plot you noticed in a barrel filled with water, little black worms, similar to tiny pieces of string that hang peacefully under the surface of the water. But as soon as you stir the water a little, they immediately begin to uneasily bend and quickly go deeper, returning soon to their original place. This small, oblong creature is called a mosquito larva.
Where mosquito larvae live
She holds herself so dexterously and naturally that the question involuntarily arises of how this crumb manages to spend so much time under the water surface. But Mother Nature foresaw everything to the smallest detail and arranged comfortable living conditions for the new nascent life until the transition to a new stage of development. The mosquito larva is suspended from the surface of the water due to its respiratory tube, which extends from the end of its abdomen. With this kind of hose, she breathes oxygen.
How the larvae eat
A mosquito larva feeds in a suspended state. Its oral appendages with many growing bristles are constantly working, capturing the smallest microorganisms as they go. Is there a lot of poor fellownecessary, especially since its menu is quite diverse and is replenished every second due to the rapid reproduction of organisms. This nascent organism lives quite satisfyingly in swamps, wells, and temporary reservoirs. However, the larva does not like large water pools because of its dark coloration, which can treacherously betray it to predators.
Differences between larva and pupa
The mosquito larva grows very quickly, its residence time in this guise is several weeks, it all depends on the temperature regime. At the end of its life span, it enters the pupal development phase. From the side it becomes like a small clumsy barrel with a squiggle at the bottom. But appearances are deceiving, and this cocoon is more mobile than its ancestors. With the help of blows on the water with his belly, he jumps on the water surface faster than fleas.
Fish food
The question of who eats mosquito larvae can be answered quite unequivocally - everyone who is not lazy. Poor little defenseless organisms are in danger not only in the water, but also on the surface. In order to get another treat for their favorite fish, the owner of the aquarium should go to a stagnant pond, not forgetting to take a net with him in order to catch gaping individuals with a deft movement. Also in the water they become food for fish and predatory larvae, toads and frogs wait for them in the swamp, and spiders feast on them on land.
The worst enemy of mosquito larvae
But not only this danger is on theirlife path. An oil-polluted reservoir is the worst enemy that every mosquito larva should be afraid of. Photos with polluted reservoirs perfectly prove that these places are detrimental to this type of organisms. The film that covers the surface of the water completely clogs the breathing tubes, and the unfortunate mosquito embryos die from the onset of suffocation. In total, some meager fractions of a percent of the laid eggs miraculously survive until the transition to the next phase of their development. But, despite all this, huge hordes of mosquitoes fly in the air, looking for their next victim.
