Can Mosquitoes Lay Eggs in Salt Water?
WouterDuring the rainy season, the king tide can submerge areas and create pools of water. This can make for ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. It is also important to check your gutters and light bulbs. Cleaning them can help eliminate breeding grounds for bedbugs.
The mosquito’s oviposition behavior is altered when salt is added to the water. This may affect the larvae and eggs. The adult females may also avoid salty water.
Scientists recently tested the effect of salt on oviposition behavior of Aedes aegypti. These mosquitoes have been shown to be sensitive to salt, and have been found to lay eggs in brackish water. Aedes aegypti larvae have been found to develop in brackish water, and are capable of hatching in salty water.
Scientists conducted feeding trials with caged mosquitoes. They offered caged females four different diets, each consisting of water, sugar water, salt only, and a mixture of sugar and salt. They observed how each diet influenced the survival rate of the mosquito. The trials ran for seven days. The results showed that the sugar and salt water mixture survived at higher rates than the water and salt only diets.
The salt only diet did not seem to have an effect on adult survival. However, the salt only diet did have a lower survival rate than the water only diet. The survival curves showed that 7 days is the average lifespan of mosquito species on different diets.
The Aedes dorsalis showed the lowest survival rates on the salt only diet. This species is known to lay its eggs on the water’s surface, and is not well adapted to laying eggs in salty water.
