Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes belong to an order of insects called Diptera, which includes the common house fly. All together, the Diptera order, the flies, are responsible for carrying diseases to more than 50% of the world's population. Some 120,000 species of Dipteran flies have been catalogued, which includes more than 2,500 species of mosquitoes. More than 15,000 species of flies and 150 species of mosquitoes are found in North America.

Some species of mosquitos in the genera Anopheles, Aedes, and Culex are responsible for infecting human beings with diseases such as malaria, filariasis, and yellow fever. While pest flies carry diseases to humans and animals and cause a considerable loss to agricultural crops, their larvae also serve an important function in the process of decomposing dead plant and animal material, a role they share with many bacteria and fungi. Mosquito populations are a part of this process.