MITE

MITES

Mites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari (also known as Acarina) and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology. In soil ecosystems, mites are favored by high organic matter content and by moist conditions, wherein they actively engage in the fragmentation and mixing of organic matter.

Life Cycle of Scabies Mite

Metamorphosis is incomplete.

Eggs: The female scabies mites select place on the body where the skin is thin such as between the fingers and wrists, etc. The female burrows into the superficial layer of the skin and makes tunnels in which she lays about 30 eggs at the rate of 2-3 per day.

Larva: After 3-4 days the eggs hatch into larva. The larva are six legged. These larvae crawl out from the burrows. They come to the surface and bore into the hair follicles where vesicle form. After about 3 days the larvae mature into nymph.

Nymph: The nymph develop into adults in 6-8 days.

Adult: The life cycle from egg-egg takes about 14-31 days. The female mites may live about 1-2 months on man. Away from man they may survive for about 7-10 days under ideal conditions.

TICKS

TICKS

Ticks are tiny blood-sucking anthropods that resemble small spiders or mites. The species Ixodes ricinus, often known as the deer or sheep tick, is the one most often found on humans. The larvae only have six legs, but the nymphs and adults have eight legs.

Ticks cannot fly or jump but climb on an animal when it passes by. They may be present on their host animal, including humans, for several hours before feeding. To feed, they bite into the animal to attach themselves to the skin. They then feed on blood from the host and after five to seven days they drop off when full. Because the tick's saliva carries a natural anaesthetic, you may not notice being bitten.

Before they have fed, ticks are so small they can be mistaken for a speck of dirt or a freckle. They can be as small as a poppy seed.

After feeding, adult ticks can be the size of a small pea and become lighter in colour.

RANGE AND HABITAT

Tick species are widely distributed around the world, but they tend to flourish more in countries with warm, humid climates, because they require a certain amount of moisture in the air to undergo metamorphosis, and because low temperatures inhibit their development from egg to larva. Ticks of domestic animals are especially common and varied in tropical countries, where they cause considerable harm to livestock by transmission of many species of pathogens and also causing direct parasitic damage.

For an ecosystem to support ticks, it must satisfy two requirements: the population density of host species in the area must be high enough, and humidity must be high enough for ticks to remain hydrated. Due to their role in transmitting Lyme disease, ixodid ticks, particularly I. scapularis, have been studied using geographic information systems (GIS), to develop predictive models for ideal tick habitats. According to these studies, certain features of a given microclimate such as sandy soil, hardwood trees, rivers, and the presence of deer were determined to be good predictors of dense tick 

LIFE CYCLE

LICE

Lice are tiny insects that live on humans and feed on blood. When a large number of lice live and multiply on a person, it is called an infestation.

Three different kinds of lice live on humans:

Head lice 

are usually found in hair, most often on the back of the neck and behind the ears. Head lice are common in preschool and elementary school-age children. Adults can get them too, especially adults who live with children.

Pubic lice 

also called crabs, are usually found in the pubic area. But they may also be found on facial hair, on eyelashes, on eyebrows, in the armpits, on chest hair, and, rarely, on the scalp.

Body lice 

live and lay eggs (nits) in the seams of clothing. The lice are on the body only when they feed. Lice spread easily from one person to another through close contact or through shared clothing or personal items (such as hats or hairbrushes). A louse cannot jump or fly.

The most common symptom of lice is itching. There are different symptoms, depending on which type of lice you have.

Head lice 

may not cause any symptoms at first. Itching on the scalp may start weeks or even months after lice have started to spread. Scratching can make the skin raw. The raw skin may ooze clear fluid or crust over, and it may get infected.

Pubic lice 

cause severe itching. Their bites may cause small marks that look like bruises on the torso, thighs, or upper arms. If pubic lice get on the eyelashes, the edges of the eyelids may be crusted. You may see lice and their eggs at the base of the eyelashes.

Body lice 

cause very bad itching, especially at night. Itchy sores appear in the armpits and on the waist, torso, and other areas where the seams of clothes press against the skin. The lice and eggs may be found in the seams of the person's clothing but are typically not seen on the skin.

Frequent scratching can cause a skin infection. In the most severe cases of head lice, hair may fall out, and the skin may get darker in the areas infested with lice.

LIFE CYCLE

FLEAS

FLEAS

Order Siphonaphtera

Facts and identification

Appearance

Adults small, wingless, about 2.5 mm long.

Their bodies are shiny and reddish brown in color.

Covered with microscopic hair and are compressed to allow for easy movement through animal fur.

Behavior, Diet & Habits

Adults are parasites that draw blood from a host. Larvae feed on organic debris, particularly the feces of adult fleas, which contain undigested blood. Fleas commonly prefer to feed on hairy animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits, squirrels, rats, mice and other domesticated or wild animals. Fleas do not have wings, although they are capable of jumping long distances.

Reproduction

Eggs are not attached to the host. Eggs will hatch on the ground, in rugs, carpet, bedding, upholstery or cracks in the floor

FLEAS BODY PARTS

CHAPTER 5 : MOSQUITOES

Types of Mosquitoes
Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex

There are approximately 2, 700 species of mosquito in the world; the three most significant genera are the Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex, as these types of mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting various diseases that are hazardous to mankind.

The Aedes Mosquito

As one of the most dangerous types of mosquito, the Aedes is anthropophagic, that is, it feeds on the blood of humans. Only the female mosquito bites. It transmits among humans menacing diseases such as yellow fever and dengue fever, and can also cause lymphatic filariasis, an illness that can trigger elephantiasis in certain cases.

MosquitoMost species of Aedes can be found in the tropical and subtropical zones of the world. Recently, the genus has been discovered in more temperate regions, and its presence can now be anticipated on every continent except Antarctica.

The female Aedes mosquito lays its eggs on the surface of water; adulthood is reached within approximately six to seven days. The mature Aedes mosquito breeds, feeds, and dies within a week or two, which is the life cycle of most mosquitoes.

The Anopheles Mosquito

The Anopheles is different from other types of mosquitoes as it is the genus most accountable for spreading malaria to humans. Malaria can be fatal; its typical symptoms include fever, headaches, chills, and general flu symptoms. The species of Anopheles known as Gambiae is infamous for transmitting plasmodium falciparum, the most threatening form of malaria in the world.

The Anopheles mosquito is generally located near bodies of water, such as ponds, swamps, marches, ditches, and rain pools. The Anopheles female favors laying its eggs in fairly still water that is oxygenated, and where there is an abundance of wild plant life. Some species enjoy the shady areas, while others prefer sunlight.

The Culex Mosquito

The genus of mosquito known as the Culex can be considered the least dangerous of the three major types of mosquitoes due to the fact that humans are not their preferred blood meal. Instead, most species of Culex are partial to biting birds rather than humans. Despite this inclination, the Culex female mosquito is nevertheless recognized as spreading diseases such as the West Nile virus, malaria, filariasis, and encephalitis.

The Culex, like the Anopheles, tends to favor standing water to lay its eggs; however, unlike the Anopheles, it does not necessarily opt for plant and wild life surroundings. Instead, it often breeds in the outdoor objects on your property, such as barrels, cans, garden pots, used tires, as well as other places where stagnant water can collect.

LIFE CYCLE

Like all flies, mosquitoes go through four stages in their lifecycles: egg, larva, pupa, and adult or imago.

The first three stages—egg, larva, and pupa—are largely aquatic. These stages typically last five to 14 days, depending on the species and the ambient temperature, but there are important exceptions. Mosquitoes living in regions where some seasons are freezing or waterless spend part of the year in diapause; they delay their development, typically for months, and carry on with life only when there is enough water or warmth for their needs. For instance, Wyeomyia larvae typically get frozen into solid lumps of ice during winter and only complete their development in spring. The eggs of some species of Aedes remain unharmed in diapause if they dry out, and hatch later when they are covered by water.

Eggs hatch to become larvae, which grow until they are able to change into pupae. The adult mosquito emerges from the mature pupa as it floats at the water surface. Bloodsucking mosquitoes, depending on species, gender, and weather conditions, have potential adult lifespans ranging from as short as a week to as long as several months.

TYPES OF LARVAE

CHAPTER 4 : FLIES

House Flies
Facts, Identification & Control

Musca Domestica

Appearance
Usually gray, less than 4 to 7.5 mm long with four black stripes on the thorax.

Behavior, Diet & Habits
They prefer corners and edges or thin objects to rest on. Indoors, they rest on floors, walls and ceilings during the day. Outdoors, they will rest on plants, the ground, fence wires, garbage cans, etc. Night resting places are usually near sources of food and 5 to 15 feet off the ground.

Wide variety of food, including human food, animal food and carcasses, garbage and excrement.

Reproduction
House fly eggs are laid in almost any warm, moist material that will supply suitable food for the larvae. The female may lay a total of five to six batches of 75 to 100 eggs. In warm weather, eggs hatch in 12 to 24 hours.

Signs of a House Fly Infestation
The adult flies are the most common sign of activity. Larvae also may be seen as they crawl out the breeding material to pupate. Lastly, the pupae themselves may sometimes be observed nearby the breeding material.

House Fly Facts
The average life span for a house fly in the wild is less than one month. Houseflies pass through the egg, larval and pupal stages in approximately 10 days, after which adult flies emerge. House flies cease growth after emerging from their pupae.

House flies are covered with small hairs that serve as taste organs. Their compound eyes are extremely complex: thousands of individual lenses allow them a wide field of vision.

House flies are major carriers of disease. They are known to transfer over 100 pathogens resulting in ailments, including typhoid, tuberculosis, cholera and dysentery. House flies collect these pathogens on their legs and mouths when feeding on feces, trash and other decaying material.