adminCertain insects and animals feed on mosquitoes and so have the capacity to checkmate the population of mosquitoes. As good as this may sound, predators are severely limited when it comes to containing a large population of mosquitoes. That said, below are some of the mosquito predators that go for these blood sucking insects.
Bats
Though a predator of mosquitoes, bats prefer to hunt and feed on other insects and mosquitoes are least on the list.
Fish
Mosquito larvae serve as food to certain species of fish like the bass, goldfish, catfish and guppies. Of all the fishes, the Gambusia affinis, sometimes referred to as “mosquito fish” feeds the most on mosquitoes, hence its name. Due to the Gambusia’s effectiveness at containing the population of mosquitoes, pest control experts use them frequently to stave off mosquitoes.
Birds
Mosquitoes are birds’ favorite meal. Of course, not all birds feed on mosquitoes but the ones that do include swallows, migratory songbird, waterfowl, and purple martins. The good thing about this birds is that they feed both on the matured and egged mosquitoes.
Turtles
Turtles, particularly the red-eared slider turtle specie is believed to feed intensively on mosquitoes especially when they aren’t developed.
Frogs and Tadpoles
Tadpoles and frogs feed sparingly on mosquitoes. They mostly feed on floating plant materials that comes within their reach, feeding on mosquito larvae infrequently. Green tree frog, spade foot toad and giant tree frog are the three commonest specie of frogs that prey on mosquitoes. These frogs don’t really feed on mosquito larvae. What they do is to eat up the food materials larvae depend on to survive.
Dragonflies
Otherwise known as mosquito hawks, insect species dragonflies are excellent predators of mosquitoes. However, their feeding barely affects the population of mosquitoes. Dragonflies at aquatic stage feed on the larvae of mosquitoes, and for these reason is considered as an excellent predator of mosquito.
Damselflies
Damselflies, though ineffective at containing mosquito population feed well on mosquito larvae during their aquatic stage.
Spiders
Spiders, as they do not fly can only feed on mosquitoes that flies into their webs, making them ineffective at containing mosquitoes.
Predacious mosquitoes
Certain species of mosquitoes prey on each other. The commonest of them is the predatory mosquito, of the family Toxorhynchites. The good thing about this specie of mosquito is that they feed on both the larvae and adult disease carrying mosquito, and themselves do not transmit any disease.
Beetles
Beetles, particularly the water scavenger and diving beetle are known to feed on larvae and pupae mosquitoes. However, they do so infrequently, preferring to feed on other insects.
