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In case you haven't noticed, there seems to be a proliferation of mosquitoes flying around this summer. Why, you ask? The answer lies in the wet weather we've been experiencing this year.

Mosquitoes need standing water to reproduce. After the females (yes it's true--only the females bite) have taken a small donation from you or I, they will mate and deposit their eggs into a small pond of water. The males spend their time feeding on plant juices until it's time to mate. Since it's been so wet this year, there is a plethora of standing water for them to make use of.

After mating, the eggs are laid on the surface of the water and resemble a small raft. Each long thin egg, is laid side by side with its neighbours and will hatch into a naiad or aquatic larva. These naiads resemble small worms, suspended from the surface, You better look carefully though, because as soon as your shadow falls across the surface, they quickly drop to the bottom. After a few moments, they begin to make their way back to the surface with a wriggling motion and are thus called "wrigglers". On closer inspection, you'll notice they have a small breathing tube on their abdomen. When they hand from the surface, this breathing tube will protrude above the surface much like a skin diver's snorkel.

After they've spent sufficient time as a larva, and the length of this time will vary with the species, they pupate or form the mosquito equivalent of a cocoon. Unlike the cocoon of a butterfly, which is hard and stationary, the mosquito pupa is able to freely swim around the pond. They don't feed during this stage but swim merely for protection. They no longer resemble hanging worms but are now hunched over and almost resemble a question mark in shape. This stage is brief and often lasts only a few days. Upon completion, the skin along the back splits and out steps everybodies favourite vampire. The newly emerged adult remains on the surface until its wings dry and then goes about its daily routine of collecting plant, and eventually human, juices.

Why do they come after us? The females need blood protein to produce eggs. Also, unlike many insects that mate and die, they can go through the cycle of mating, feeding and egg laying several times (barring being squashed in the attempt). Each blood meal will provide enough protein to produce between seventy-five and five hundred eggs.

In many areas of the world, disease carrying mosquitoes have killed millions of people. Diseases like malaria, yellow fever and more than eighty other viruses can be blamed on the mosquito. Also, in the arctic, scientists have measured bite rates as high as 9,000 bites per minute. This would be more than enough to kill a human in less than two hours from blood loss alone.

To be fair to the mosquito--they aren't all bad. They also form an important agent in the pollination of many wildflowers, including some orchids. As they look for nectar, they pick up pollen which is transferred to other plants and allows them to produce seeds. Just something to keep in mind as you bring your hand down on the next one you catch biting you.