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Vector Lab - Mosquito Inquiry Experiment
This inquiry-based lab can integrate into biology or environmental science in middle or high school life sciences.
Learning objective:
Students will identify variables that affect growth and development of mosquitoes based on observations and
recorded data.
Students will draw conclusions about how global climate change can affect individual species.
Background:
To pique student’s interest while providing background on the mosquito life cycle, observe hatching of Aedes
aegypti mosquito larvae. Place the paper with eggs in a petri dish of spring water and use a lens to observe
emerging larvae. Record observations.
Teachers note: Some larvae will emerge almost immediately but it will take about 30-40 minutes for the majority
of mosquitoes to emerge. Students can record observations such as time to hatch, drawing of eggs and larvae,
determining size and number of eggs, comparing size and number of eggs to larvae. Stations with diagrams of the
mosquito life cycle, microscopes with prepared mosquito slides or a rearing chamber started 10-14 days before
can assist students to observe as they wait for hatching.
After hatching, ask probing questions to get students to think about possible variables that could be investigated
in the mosquito lab but also bring in the theme of climate change.
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Ex: “Climate change is a major environmental issue that affects the local and global environment.
What are some ways in which your state as well as the United States are affected by climate change?”
Possible answers: changing weather patterns, rainfall increase/decrease, rising sea level, change in pH of ocean,
increased run-off, increased temperature (decreased in certain areas), density of organisms.
Students will design an experiment to explain how one of these factors affects the development of mosquitoes.
Students can also complete a KWL Chart (What I Know, What I Want to Know, What I Learned) on the mosquito
life cycle. This can also be a method of brainstorming variables to investigate.
Materials:
 Growth Chambers – any type of clear containers - half-pint canning jars, baby food jars, Microaquaria,
Petri dishes, deep welled slides, or BioQuip Mosquito Breeding Chambers
 Covering for containers – tulle or netting squares, cheese cloth, screen, rubber bands (attached netting
under rims of canning jars)
 Hatched Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae (about 30 mosquitoes per group)
 Pipets, plastic (end cut off to easily transport larva)
 Graduated cylinders
 Thermometers
 Hovabator or heated incubator
 Cold incubator/ ice cooler
 Goggles and apron
Suggested materials for students to test temperature are included. Add materials based on supplies available or
ask students to bring in other materials to test.
Peabody Fellows Explorers and Investigators. © 2013 Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. All rights reserved.
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Growth Chambers: Larvae can grow in the wild in anything that can hold a little standing water. There are many
choices for growing them in the lab or classroom:
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BioQuip Mosquito Breeding/Rearing Chambers – These are good for growing a large quantity or stock of
larvae from submerged eggs. (Mosquito Breeder Quart Size #1425 $13…Mini Mosquito Breeder Pint Size
#1425DG $9.95)
Do-It-Yourself Chambers – Students love to make things, so make your own with recyclable
supplies…HHMI instructions http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/activities/mosquito/
Microaquaria… Carolina Biological www.carolina.com #131016 $6.70 each (pk of 10 $66.95)
MicroAquarium Web Page www.una.edu/faculty/microaquarium/index.htm Dr. Paul G. Davison –
Professor, University of North Alabama Department of Biology
Large scale larval growth – Any large quart-size jar with netting over the top will work for submerging eggs
and hatching larvae.
Small scale experiments – Half-pint canning jars with tulle under outer ring…baby food jars… other small
jars (marinated artichoke hearts, etc) or small beakers with netting on top
Water: Use spring water or tap water (aerate overnight) Experiment with water from different sources…pond
water, salt, rain, bottled, etc.
Heat Source: Incubator…Hovabator Egg Incubator (holds temp between 30 – 37o C)
Cold Source: Large freezer packs wrapped in towels will hold a constant 60oF for a school day. Replace with new
pack in Styrofoam container in the morning, temperature will hold steady throughout the day. Add new wrapped
freezer pack in the late afternoon, in addition to previous freezer pack. Will increase some in temp overnight but
not all the way to room temp…refrigerators (0o-4oC/32o-39oF) are too cold and the larvae will die.
Mosquitoes: Peabody Fellows will receive mosquito eggs from the Connecticut Agricultural and Experiment
Station. Please contact Beth Hines beth.hines@yale.edu with requests for eggs and time needed and we will have
them sent to you in warm months. In the colder months, you might need to come and pick them up, as they might
not survive the trip though the mail.
 Collect native mosquitoes in the wild
 Fish or pet stores sometimes raise larvae to feed fish
 Centers for Disease Control www.cdc.gov ask for local supplier
 Local researchers or professors
 Carolina Biological Supply Culex egg raft
 Benzon Research www.benzonresearch.com
Mosquito food:
In nature, larvae eat bacteria and algae, as well as tiny bits of dead and decaying organic matter that they filter
out of the water. In the lab, they can eat:
 ground dry fish food pellets or flakes
 ground dog, cat or rodent chow, or a mixture of ground fish food and animal chow.
 Carolina Biological Supply $5.00 (item # 144185)
Peabody Fellows Explorers and Investigators. © 2013 Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. All rights reserved.
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A tiny pinch every day is sufficient in small chambers, slightly larger pinch in large rearing chambers… but do not
feed so much food that the water gets brown and murky or a film forms on top of the water. Overfeeding is the
most common problem.
If you want to slow down development to fit your class schedule, just give less food per feeding and feed less
often. The larvae will stay alive but they will grow more slowly.
*Keep a data chart of feeding and development to compare food types, amounts, etc.*
Pupa do not eat so do not feed a container that contains mostly pupa.
Adult males and females will stay alive with a cotton ball soaked in a mixture of sugar or honey in water (honey is
less likely to get moldy)…HHMI lab suggests a moistened sugar cube. Adults can live for a couple of weeks to
about 30 days if fed, but they will die within 1-2 days after emerging if you do not feed them.
Concentration: One larva/1 mL water is considered adequate…CAES prefers 1 larva/2 mL water. Overcrowding
your container will cause buildup of organic wastes, which will slow down development and could eventually kill
the larvae.
Disposal: If you do not feed adult mosquitoes, they will die in a couple of days. You can kill adults quickly by
putting them in a freezer for 15 minutes. Kill larvae by freezing or pouring out on the dry ground.
* Save your dead adults: you can use them to teach anatomy, males vs females, etc*
Do not release live larvae or adults into the environment. Dispose of them properly.
Temperature: Store eggs and grow larvae at room temperature (20oC-25oC / 68oF-77oF). Never store in the
refrigerator. Refrigerator temperatures will kill eggs and larvae. Slightly warmer temperatures will speed up
development but high temperatures will kill eggs and larvae.
Procedure:
After students generate a list of factors that affect mosquito development break students into lab groups to
design and conduct an experiment. Teams of two students are ideal for laboratory work, but circumstances may
necessitate teams of three or four students. Have lab groups write a hypothesis, procedure and data table to
record observations on the mosquitoes.
Students will need a minimum of 5-10 days to observe the developing larvae, up to 10 days of observing until they
reach adult stage. You should allow about 60 minutes of instructional time for students to design and set up their
experiments. Additional instructional time (10 minutes per class) will be necessary for students to collect data for
this activity, as the change in the mosquitoes will take several days. If your schedule is such that class does not
meet every day, then further adjustments for the activity will be necessary.
Allow a minimum of 30 minutes for students to write about their results or students can complete the lab report
for homework.
Peabody Fellows Explorers and Investigators. © 2013 Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History. All rights reserved.