How to create your Mozzie Wise powerpoint
Mosquito Life Cycle Investigation
Team investigation
larvae,
pupae
adults.
Eggs hatch into larvae in about 1–2 days. Larvae start to form pupae in 4–7 days. It is hard to see the larvae for the first 2 days, so use the magnifying glass.
4. Feed a small pinch of pond food every second day. Record the day and time of feeding.
5. To prevent adult mosquitoes from escaping, do not remove the upper portion of the chamber at any time during this investigation.
5. When you observe your first adult mosquito place a sugar cube onto the mesh. Adult mosquitoes will feed on the sugar cube.
6. Adults will emerge 1–2 days after pupation. Determine whether the adult is a male or female of by using the magnifying glass to observe their antennae.
7. After all the adults have emerged and you have enough observational data put the whole emergence chamber into the freezer overnight. Freezing will anesthetize the adults. Do not release live mosquitoes, whether purchased or collected.
Analysing your findings
- With your partner think about the different variables in the natural environment that might affect the mosquito life cycle or mosquito survival. Make a list of all your ideas.
- Choose one of your ideas and try and come up with your own investigation question. Your question should have something that can be measured and one thing that is changed.
- You should carefully design your investigation so that all your mosquitoes are treated exactly the same way except for the one variable that you purposely manipulate. If you change more than one variable, you will not be able to determine which one has an effect. Your first task in designing your investigation is to identify the variable that you change, and list all the variables that you will consider to ensure you will have a fair test.
- Keep a record of your daily observations.
- Record the date and time
- Record the room temperature each day.
- Every day, count the number of
larvae,
pupae
adults.
Eggs hatch into larvae in about 1–2 days. Larvae start to form pupae in 4–7 days. It is hard to see the larvae for the first 2 days, so use the magnifying glass.
4. Feed a small pinch of pond food every second day. Record the day and time of feeding.
5. To prevent adult mosquitoes from escaping, do not remove the upper portion of the chamber at any time during this investigation.
5. When you observe your first adult mosquito place a sugar cube onto the mesh. Adult mosquitoes will feed on the sugar cube.
6. Adults will emerge 1–2 days after pupation. Determine whether the adult is a male or female of by using the magnifying glass to observe their antennae.
7. After all the adults have emerged and you have enough observational data put the whole emergence chamber into the freezer overnight. Freezing will anesthetize the adults. Do not release live mosquitoes, whether purchased or collected.
Analysing your findings
- How many days before the first adult emerged? What was the temperature on that day?
- How many days before the first male adult emerged? What was the temperature on that day?
- How many days before the first female adult emerged? What was the temperature on that day?
- At the conclusion of the investigation how many adult mosquitoes, pupa and larvae are in your chamber?
- Can these results be used to solve the problem of mosquitoes in Perth? How could you improve this investigation? If you were to conduct this investigation a second time how would you change it? Do you have an idea for another investigation question?
How to identify if a mosquito is a male or female?
Getting zapped investigation
Here are some ideas for your investigation question and to help you set up a 'fair test'.
- What percentage of mosquitoes are zapped when we change where we place the bug zapper? On the lawn or under the patio.
- What percentage of mosquitoes are zapped when we change the height of the bug zapper?
- What percentage of mosquitoes are zapped when we change what time of the evening we turn the bug zapper on? sunset (6pm), early evening (8pm) or late evening (10pm).
- What percentage of mosquitoes are zapped when we change how long we leave the bug zapper on for? 1 hour, 2 hours or 3 hours.
Team outcomes
Team one
What is a mosquito?
Team two
How do mosquitoes survive?
Team three
Transmission of disease
Team four
Nutrients and mosquito populations
Team five
Transmission of disease
What is a mosquito?
- Identify the observable features of a mosquito.
- Understand the adaptations of a mosquito that help it survive.
- Identify the specific needs of a mosquito at each phase of it's life cycle.
Team two
How do mosquitoes survive?
- Identify where mosquitoes fit in a food chain.
- Explain the importance of some structural features of a mosquito and it's importance to survival.
- List the essential requirements for the successful survival of the mosquito at each stage of it's development
- Identify how humans can reduce the mosquitoes ability to become a pest at each stage.
- Identify the needs of mosquitoes for survival.
Team three
Transmission of disease
- Understand health messages in regards to mosquito bites.
- Make decisions to keep themselves safe from disease spread by mosquitoes.
- Learn that some mosquitoes carry disease.
- Identify possible locations within the school grounds, home or local community where mosquitoes may breed.
- Offer solutions to reduce mosquito breeding locations.
Team four
Nutrients and mosquito populations
- Identify factors that increase nutrients in waterways and therefore lead to increased mosquito populations.
- Understand the different methods available for mosquito control.
- Discuss the positive and negative impacts of the various methods of mosquito control.
Team five
Transmission of disease
- Explain how viruses use specialised functions to spread from one host to another.
- Identify how human activity impacts on mosquito populations.
- Identify various scientific roles involved in making decisions regarding the management of mosquitoes.