Understanding Mosquitoes: A Quiz

What causes the irritation and itching of a mosquito bite?

• An allergic reaction to the mosquito's saliva

• The mosquito's teeth

• A toxic substance in the mosquito's body

• Infection from the bite

How many different species of mosquitoes are there in the United States?

• About 300

• More than 500

• About 200

• About 100

What is the first stage of a mosquito's life cycle?

• Larva

• Pupa

• Adult

• Egg

How can mosquito eggs survive?

• By floating on water

• By burrowing into the ground

• By sticking to walls like glue and surviving drying out for up to eight months

• By hatching immediately after being laid

What do adult female mosquitoes need blood for?

• To feed their young

• To produce eggs

• Because it's their only food source

• To grow larger

What is NOT a stage in the mosquito life cycle?

• Pupa

• Egg

• Butterfly

• Larva

Where do mosquitoes prefer to live?

• Only outside, far from humans

• In deep forests away from any human contact

• Only inside human homes

• Near or inside human homes, depending on their preference to bite people or animals