As part of Diversity, elementary students here learn about the life cycles of select animals. How selective? I used to write down seven letters and get students to rattle off all seven animals:

BBCCFGM

Beetle, butterfly, chicken, cockroach, frog, grasshopper, mosquito

Yes, out of so many animals in the world, the humble mosquito was deemed an animal worth studying. Maybe it’s because Singapore has many cases of dengue fever every year. Maybe the curriculum planners planned for some public awareness regarding the eradication of mosquitoes. Don’t leave stagnant water lying around!

Mosquitoes were featured in the 2022 Pri Sch Paper. See below.

The picture below shows an outdoor toilet with a mosquito trap. Mosquitoes are attracted to human waste and will lay eggs in the waste. The human waste gives out Gas X. A mosquito trap is installed next to the toilet. The mosquito trap has a tube which allows mosquitoes to enter from the surroundings. Air and the smell of human waste moves from the waste tank through the mosquito trap, as shown by the arrows.

a Why are mosquitoes attracted to the human waste to lay eggs?

b What group of organisms in the human waste releases Gas X? State the process which releases Gas X.

c Gas X also attracts mosquitoes. Suggest a possible reason.

d Why do the mosquitoes die quickly after entering the mosquito trap?

Pictures taken from The Learning Lab