meeple isnt okay

In February 2019, a theoretical modelling study was reported regarding the potential role of C. pipiens in transmitting West Nile Virus in the UK. Empirical data were taken from a study conducted during 2015 in Southern England in order to obtain a better understanding of the seasonal abundance patterns, thereby helping to identify the season(s) when the species thrives best and is the most populous.

meeple you good?

In February 2019, a theoretical modelling study was reported regarding the potential role of C. pipiens in transmitting West Nile Virus in the UK. Empirical data were taken from a study conducted during 2015 in Southern England in order to obtain a better understanding of the seasonal abundance patterns, thereby helping to identify the season(s) when the species thrives best and is the most populous.

Meeple are you okay?

In February 2019, a theoretical modelling study was reported regarding the potential role of C. pipiens in transmitting West Nile Virus in the UK. Empirical data were taken from a study conducted during 2015 in Southern England in order to obtain a better understanding of the seasonal abundance patterns, thereby helping to identify the season(s) when the species thrives best and is the most populous.

Arboviruses are diseases that are transmitted to vertebrates by arthropods, including insects. Culex pipiens carries many arbovirus diseases across many regions of the globe. Cases of Rift Valley fever have been present in Africa, Japanese encephalitis has been prevalent in East Asian countries, and West Nile virus has been seen all over the globe.

Mosquito bites can affect warm, uncovered areas of the body, and reactions to the bites vary in severity. Once a host is bitten by a mosquito, the mosquito uses its proboscis to take in blood. In the process of digesting blood, mosquitoes inject saliva instantly after the proboscis enters the host. Many humans display an allergic reaction to the saliva.

Autogeny is the ability to lay eggs without prior consumption of blood. This trait varies across the C. pipiens complex, and could limit transmission of pathogens since females do not risk food contamination in order to lay eggs. Mosquito-borne diseases are widespread throughout the globe. According to the World Health Organization, these diseases affected nearly 350 million people worldwide in 2017. Culex pipiens is one of the many members of the mosquito family that is a carrier of disease. Specifically, C. pipiens are well known carriers of West Nile virus, Saint Louis encephalitis viruses, avian malaria (Plasmodium relictum), and filarial worms.

The number of larvae present in one breeding site also impacts the success rates of offspring survival. A 1973 study done by Skierska analyzed the effects that larval density had on survival rates. The study showed that the highest larval survival occurred when the larvae density ranged between 20 and 50 organisms. Within this population range, development periods of the larvae were also the fastest compared to larvae densities that existed above this range. Increased larval densities also affected how many eggs were produced among females that survived within the original experimental population. When densities were higher, less eggs were produced by these surviving females.

Temperature has a direct impact on the outcome of fertilization. Studies have demonstrated that female insemination relies on higher temperatures to produce successful outcomes, as colder temperatures increase the number of underdeveloped C. pipiens eggs. Another factor that affects fertilization outcomes is the age of females. In 1972, Lea and Evans performed a study that yielded results showing that the number of inseminated females drastically increased with age. Specifically, only females older than 18–24 hours can be successfully inseminated by a male mate. Furthermore, C. pipiens is believed to be a monogamous species, mating only once (and with one partner) throughout the duration of its life.

There are many stages that make up C. pipiens feeding activity. These stages are known as activation, orientation, landing, and probing. Locating a host requires both visual and chemical cues from the environment to allow C. pipiens to sense where the host is.

Culex pipiens feed on a variety of different food sources. Sugar is one important source of food that provides C. pipiens with similar amounts of energy as blood does. Both males and females obtain sugar through feeding on plant sugar, floral nectar, and honeydew, which are found via olfactory and visual cues. Female C. pipiens differ from males in the way that they consume both blood and sugar as sources of food, whereas males only rely on these sugar sources for energy. They obtain blood hosts such as birds, humans, cattle, etc. for feeding. Searching for sources of blood requires a complex of behavioral responses that influence C. pipiens sensory mechanisms that help them to locate hosts.Females contain 1,300 sensory organs, while males have 1,350. Garvin et al. 2018 find C. pipiens to be more attracted to adult birds than nestlings, by differentiating between uropygial gland secretions of different ages (tested in Passer domesticus).

This is why this specific feeding behavior is seen before the winter season.