“Unto Adam [God] said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake.”
Genesis 3:1717And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; (Genesis 3:17)
The week of constant rain has formed pools of water in ditches and other low spots. It has collected in the bottom of old tires and in empty cans along the roadsides. Standing water is where mosquitoes lay their eggs.
It only takes a day or two for a mosquito egg to hatch into a larva called a wriggler. It has a head on one end and a siphon for breathing on the other. Most wrigglers eat algae and organic debris, but a few eat other living bugs, including other mosquito babies.
After about ten days, wrigglers change into thin-shelled pupae, nicknamed tumblers, because if they sense a change in their surroundings, they tumble below the surface of the water. During this time a pupa doesn’t eat, but still needs to breathe. On its fourth molt, two little things that look like trumpets appear on its head. This is its new breathing apparatus, sticking out of the water while the rest of it hangs below it, usually just below the surface. In two to four days the pupa is ready to shed its skin and become a fully developed adult mosquito. However, not all eggs become adult mosquitoes, thankfully. Many become food for fish, ducks, frogs, turtles and other creatures.
Adult mosquitoes, emerged from their shell, need food. They all feed on sugar, mainly nectar from flowers, which means they help pollinate flowers. Only the female mosquito sucks the blood of humans and animals, when she needs protein to help her eggs mature. Rolled up inside her dagger-like beak, called a proboscis, are six tiny little instruments. Two of these are like tiny saws to cut through the skin. Two others hold the tissue apart. One of the others pumps in saliva which numbs the nerves of the victim and suppresses its immune response while the last one does the actual blood sucking. All of that in a tiny little beak! Who but God could design such a thing!
Originally, God provided these remarkable little creatures to fulfill a place in the chain of life, as we can still see from their helpfulness in pollinating flowers. But the swelling and itch of a mosquito bite are reminders that sin has left its mark on all creation, marring it in many ways. Its complete loveliness will not be restored until a time to come when the Bible says the Lord Jesus Christ shall be acknowledged as “the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:1515Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; (1 Timothy 6:15)). Is your life a witness to His being Lord of your life, even now? It should be, if you are a believer. Then your life will be a blessing to others, and not like the mosquito which can cause pain.
Did You Know?
Many mosquito eggs become food for fish, ducks, frogs, turtles and other creatures.
Messages of God’s Love 3/3/2024