Dragonfly nymphs slaughter mosquito wigglers
Among all creatures great and small, come dragonflies — which are small but also great.
They chow down mosquitoes. Lots of mosquitoes. They not only eat mosquitoes that bite our hands or fly around our heads during an afternoon barbecue, but they also eat the larvae that would otherwise transform into infuriating and possibly disease-carrying mosquitoes.
Most female mosquitoes lay eggs one at a time on the surface of water or lay them in batches that form floating rafts. But the dengue mosquito, Aedes
lays eggs against the inner walls of open outdoor containers such as cans, pots and buckets that are partially filled with water. Eggs remain on the walls until rainwater fills the container or they simply drop into the water.
Mosquito eggs hatch as larvae, called wigglers, that live near the water’s surface and breathe air through a tube called a siphon. Wigglers eventually develop pupae, called tumblers, that float on the water while undergoing several molt cycles until winged mosquitoes emerge.
Meanwhile, female dragonflies attach eggs on aquatic vegetation. Their larvae, called nymphs, hatch from eggs and live underwater while breathing like a fish through gills. But they resemble creepy, horrifying space aliens depicted in sci-fi movies. Here’s the good news. Keen-sighted nymphs spot and devour wigglers with fiendish relish. Each nymph has a macabre mouth with a double-hinged lower lip, called a labium, that folds under the head. The labium will unfold in a split second and shoot out like a spear to snatch a wiggler. The
nymph snatches wigglers one after another, with an insatiable appetite.
Dragonfly nymphs slaughtering mosquito wigglers. How about that for nature’s way of dealing with mosquitoes.
Hard to believe that horrifyingly ugly nymphs can pupate and emerge as beautiful dragonflies with serene color patterns. But no matter their good looks, winged dragonflies are merciless in gobbling up flying mosquitoes.
They’ll perch on stems of aquatic vegetation until troops of mosquitoes pass by. They then
launch deadly aerial attacks, chomping down entire squads of mosquitoes.
Dragonflies fly at speeds reaching 30 mph. They strafe ponds, grasses and bushes in rapid twists and turns to snap up mosquitoes and other flying insects and chew them to bits in their powerful mandibles.
Yet these precision mosquito killers are handsome devils. Their abdomens flash such colors as powder blue, bright crimson, shimmering green and chalky white.