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Mosquitoes,�Our Community �and You

Ms. Tran

Education Coordinator

Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District

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Expectations

Summer Programs

Be Kind Be Helpful Be Curious

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As mosquito scientists,

we will study the characteristics, behaviors and effects of mosquitoes!

We will learn how to protect ourselves from mosquitoes.

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Mystery Photos

Share statements or questions about the pictures.

This looks like _____.

I wonder ____ .

I think ____ .

Is this ____ ?

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What is a vector?

A vector is an animal that can make people sick, uncomfortable, or injured.

What is a vector?

Summer Programs

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Top Vectors in Orange County

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What is vector control?

Our goal = public health

OC Vector Control keeps our community healthy by controlling vectors that spread disease.

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Mosquitoes in the World

3,500 species of mosquitoes in the world
176 species of mosquitoes in North America
53 species of mosquitoes in California

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Mosquitoes in Orange County

There are 26 species of mosquitoes in Orange County
We will look at two different genera (types): Culex and Aedes.

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OBSERVE

MOSQUITOES OF OC

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Mosquito Body Parts

Segmented body

Proboscis

Antennae

Wings

Compound Eyes

1

2

3

4

5

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Females Vs. Males

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Culex mosquitoes

Small and brown
Bite at night, dusk and dawn
Prefer to bite birds
Can spread West Nile virus
Lay eggs in standing water in “rafts” that float

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Common Culex breeding sources

(large, dirty areas of standing water)

Flood channel

Backyard pond

Dirty swimming pool

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Aedes mosquitoes

Black with white stripes: “zebra mosquitoes”
Aggressive daytime biters
Prefer to bite humans
Bite low on the body (legs, ankles, feet)
Spread diseases--dengue fever, yellow fever, chikungunya and Zika
Lay eggs in containers of standing water

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Aedes mosquitoes lay eggs in containers of standing water.

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Aedes mosquitoes will lay their eggs dry and wait for water.

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Mystery Photos

A B C D

Can you guess the order of a mosquito’s growth?

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Life Cycle of a Mosquito

The mosquito life cycle has 4 stages (complete metamorphosis).

It takes only one week to complete the life cycle in warm water.

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Life Cycle B-I-N-G-O

I see something in the water.

I think it’s an egg raft.

E-GG R-A-F-T, E-GG R-A-F-T, E-GG R-A-F-T,

Egg raft in the water.

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Life Cycle B-I-N-G-O

I see something in the water.

I think it’s a larva.

L-A-R-V-A, L-A-R-V-A, L-A-R-V-A

Larva in the water.

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Life Cycle B-I-N-G-O

I see something in the water

I think it’s some pupae.

P-U-P-A-E, P-U-P-A-E, P-U-P-A-E

It’s pupae, it’s not poopy!

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Life Cycle B-I-N-G-O

I see something in the air.

Look! It’s a mosquito!

Please, don’t suck my blood! Please, don’t suck my blood! Please, don’t suck my blood!

I don’t want to get bitten.

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Let’s dance and act out the four stages of the mosquito life cycle!

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What stages do you see?
What characteristics and behaviors do you notice?

OBSERVE

LIFE STAGES

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Let’s watch the Culex mosquito life cycle up close!

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How do I get rid of mosquitoes?

Dump out water.

Call OC Vector.

Scrub eggs off

surfaces.

Summer Programs

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Mosquitoes,�Our Community �and You

Ms. Tran

Education Coordinator

Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District

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Expectations

Summer Programs

Be Kind Be Helpful Be Curious

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What is the world’s deadliest animal?

Which animal kills the most humans every year?

What makes an animal deadly?

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Activity Answers:

Deadliest to Least Deadly

Mosquito
Human
Snake
Lion
Shark

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How do mosquitoes affect humans?

Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on Earth.
On average, mosquitoes kill 725,000 people every year by spreading diseases.

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As mosquito scientists,

we study mosquitoes!

As science news reporters,

we will discover and report the effects of mosquito bites

and how to protect ourselves!

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Mosquito-Spread Diseases

Dengue and malaria are the most common diseases worldwide that mosquitoes spread.
West Nile virus is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the United States.

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How do people get West Nile Virus?

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West Nile Virus

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Let’s sing about

West Nile virus!

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The Community

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Infected Birds

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Infected Mosquitoes

The mosquitoes bite the infected birds and fly to different areas of the community. Why are the mosquitoes blue? They are infected with West Nile virus. Now, we’ll start our infection game to see how infection spreads. Add infected bird blood (almost full). Add normal blood to every other animal (half full). Mosquito bites infected bird. Mosquito has blue liquid (infected with WNv). Hold up infected mosquito in the air (wait for class). What will it do? Bite people CLOSEBY/SURROUNDING it. What will it give to the animals it bites? WNv. We will show this using 3 drops of liquid. Do that for each animal around ONE infected mosquito. How many mosquitoes are infected in the community? I wish I could have given you 10 mosquitoes! Pretend the mosquito pipette represents each of the other infected mosquitoes and bite the people and animals around it. When you run out of blue liquid, get some more from the infected birds. Find out how many people did not get infected with West Nile virus.

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Set up the box and plate between you and your partner.

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Place well plate above game board.

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Twist clear cap to open.

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Mosquito bites infected bird.

With the mosquito pipette:

Squeeze and hold
Dip proboscis in
Release the squeeze
Lift up

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How many infected mosquitoes do we have?

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Be the infected mosquito by biting humans and animals closeby.

--

Add two drops for each bite.

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Again…

Infected mosquito bites humans and animals closeby.

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Repeat for all infected mosquitoes.

___

Infected mosquito bites humans and animals closeby.

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Who did not become infected? Why not?

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Let’s watch the Culex mosquito life cycle up close!

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How Mosquitoes Use 6 Needles to Suck Up Your Blood

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Discomfort

Disease

Death

Mosquitoes may cause ____________.

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Let’s create a one-sided multi-flow map.

Objective: Show the effects of mosquitoes on people.

Mosquitoes can cause _______________.

A mosquito bites.

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DISCOMFORT

How does your skin look and feel after a mosquito bite?

DISEASE

What diseases can mosquitoes spread?

How does West Nile virus spread to humans?

How do you feel if you have West Nile virus?

DEATH

How many people die each year worldwide due to mosquito bites?

Who is more likely to get seriously sick?

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I can protect myself from mosquitoes by ______ .�

keeping water clean

pools
fountains
birdbaths
ponds
pet water bowls

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Let’s watch a mosquitofish eat some larvae!

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Demo: How do adult mosquitoes find us?

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Super Senses: How do mosquitoes find us?

carbon dioxide, sweat

movement

body heat

skin, blood

Female use these senses to find hosts for their blood meals.

1.Smell carbon dioxide and sweat (lactic acid)….body odor, sweat, skin odor

2.Sight using eyes with ommatidia allow them to see from multiple directions at once

3.Heat

4.Taste: receptors on their feet as well as their tongue. Once it lands, the mosquito can taste the host even before it bites.

5.Also, moisture detection

More Info

Although small in size, mosquitoes have been around for over 30 million years. They have honed their hunting skills over that time and today use chemical, visual and heat sensors to locate their prey. They use their chemical sensors to detect carbon dioxide and lactic acid from up to 100 feet away. Certain chemicals in sweat can also trigger their sensors. Their visual sensors aren't very keen, but they can see you moving if you are wearing clothing that contrasts the background. They use their heat sensors to detect warm-blooded mammals and birds in their vicinity, so they can always locate humans when they are near enough to sense body heat.

Resources:

https://depts.washington.edu/scipos/wordpress/2023/02/10/exploring-mosquito-sensory-mechanisms/

https://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/how-do-mosquitoes-find-us.php

https://news.ucsb.edu/2024/021587/mosquitoes-sense-infrared-body-heat-help-track-humans-down

https://www.science.org/content/article/heat-sensors-mosquito-antennae-may-help-them-hunt-us-afar

https://www.kao.com/global/en/innovation/research-development/dengue/mosquito/host-seeking/

●Male mosquitoes only eat nectar and search for females using fuzzy antenna to listen for buzz of female mosquito.

●Female mosquitoes are the ones that bite us; need to collect blood to use nutrients in it to lay healthy eggs; when they bite, they use a long biting mouth part called a proboscis to pierce the skin and to find a vein; as they bite, they inject their saliva into our blood which causes that itchy bump and can also spread diseases

●

●They have two complex eyes that work independently of each other. Culex mosquitoes fly mostly at dawn and dusk.

●Can fly forward, backward and sideways.

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Keep those mosquitoes outside where they belong!

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I can protect myself from mosquitoes by ___ .

staying inside at dusk and dawn (AKA mosquito time)

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Sometimes getting rid of water is not enough.

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Sometimes getting rid of water is not enough.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

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Take action: Talk to your neighbors!

If you are getting bitten, they probably are too!

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I can protect myself from mosquitoes by ______ .

calling OC Vector

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Let’s put it all together

on a tree map!

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Junior Vector Inspector Checklist

Look for standing water inside and outside
Dump out any standing water.
Identify things outside that can fill with water and put them away or turn them over.
Pick up backyard trash.
Check screen doors and window screens for holes, tears or gaps.
Repair or tape holes, tears or gaps in screens.
Talk to 2 different people about what they can do to stay safe from mosquitoes.

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Extend Your Learning!

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Congratulations!��You are smart and powerful.��You can make a difference in your neighborhood!

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Sometimes getting rid of water is not enough.

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Sometimes getting rid of water is not enough.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA