There’s an upside to more mosquitoes? Most of you would beg to differ, and most of us here at American Pest would have to agree. Mosquitoes are the bane of summertime that are not only annoying but can spread serious diseases like West Nile virus, among others.
So grasping at the straws that Mother Nature has left us with, we celebrate the rise of dragonflies.
Nymphs
Throughout their lives, dragonflies are strictly predators. Harmless to humans, other insects should watch their backs when a dragonfly swoops in looking for a meal. Dragonflies begin their lives in the water as aquatic larvae. During that time they are not the wriggling worms of other insect larvae like fly maggots, but appear to be partially formed adults as they go through what is called a partial metamorphosis. Dragonflies lay their eggs in water. The eggs hatch into nymphs which look like dragonflies with no wings. These nymphs stay underwater and prey on other aquatic creatures, often munching on the larvae of mosquitoes, which also develops underwater.
Adults
When dragonflies emerge from their underwater adolescence they remain fierce predators of the insect world. They have the six legs required to be considered an insect but are quite clumsy walkers. They prefer to whiz through the air at high speeds, picking off other insects in their path. In addition to mosquitoes, dragonflies enjoy eating flies and gnats among other small insects. Dragonflies prefer to live near water and marsh areas since so much of their life is spent as aquatic nymphs.
So next time a dragonfly dashes by on a hot summer day, say a little thank you for spending so much of its time eating mosquitoes and their larvae.
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