Breeding sites

Mosquitoes need water to develop their eggs and larvae. The choice of spawning site is crucial to the reproduction of the species and depends on a number of factors, such as : 

• water quality 
• the presence of other eggs
• the presence of predators, or 
• the type of environment (open or closed, natural or urban,etc.). 

Some species prefer freshwater flooded areas (e.g. Aedes vexans, Aedes sticticus, Aedes cinereus) or brackish water (Aedes caspius, Aedes detritus, Aedes dorsalis, Anopheles atroparvus). Other species prefer temporary ponds, pools, swamps or damp areas in forests (e.g. Aedes cantans, Aedes rusticus, Aedes communis, Aedes punctor). Some mosquitoes prefer permanent wetlands (e.g. Anopheles maculipennis sensu lato, Coquillettidia richiardii, Culiseta morsitans). Others prefer smaller breeding sites, such as tree cavities and rock pools (Anopheles plumbeus, Aedes geniculatus, Aedes albopictus, Aedes japonicus, Aedes koreicus). The latter have also adapted to artificial breeding sites, such as used tyres, buckets, gutters, flower pots and rainwater barrels. Finally, there are also species that have adapted to a whole range of different sites. They can reproduce in both natural environments (e.g. ponds) and artificial breeding sites, in both polluted and unpolluted water. This is the case, for example, with the common house mosquito, Culex pipiens, and the large ringed mosquito, Culiseta annulata.