Mosquitoes are found in every region of the world except Antarctica. They breed in standing water in diverse aquatic habitats including freshwater (even if heavily polluted), saltwater marshes, brackish water, and even water found in discarded containers and old tires.

Both male and female mosquitoes feed on flower or fruit nectar, but only female mosquitoes bite; they require a blood meal every three to four days for the protein necessary to produce eggs.

Mosquitoes can be divided into two types: daytime and nighttime biters. Those mosquitoes that transmit malaria and Japanese encephalitis bite mostly at twilight or during the night. Mosquitoes that transmit dengue and yellow fever, on the other hand, are daytime biters.

Mosquitoes bite indoors as well as outdoors so you need to prevent mosquitoes from gaining entry into living and sleeping quarters and to eliminate those that might already be there.

The same personal protection measures that you use against mosquitoes will also protect you against ticks and biting flies - insects that transmit Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis, relapsing fever, typhus, leishmaniasis, onchoerciasis, trypanosomiasis, and several other tropical and infectious diseases.

You will want to avoid mosquitoes and biting flies for another reason - insect bites, even without the risk of disease can make you miserable. Bites usually cause localized swelling and itching, and certain bites, such as from black flies, are very painful. Bites can also become secondarily infected, usually from excessive scratching.