Every good story has many chapters. In the case of mosquitoes, it is about the mosquito itself—its life cycle, its quest for survival, and its relentless search for a blood meal. Then there is the story about the habitats these tiny creatures have evolved to exploit, often in plain sight. 

Read on to find out how you can join the global fight. These topics intersect in ways that affect ecosystems, public health, and even the worldwide fight against disease.

Thanks to NASA’s GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper, citizen scientists like you can play a pivotal role in understanding and mitigating the risks mosquitoes pose. By learning about their life cycle and habitats, you can help write a new chapter in this story—one where human ingenuity triumphs over one of nature’s deadliest creatures.

The Mosquito Life Cycle: A Tale of Transformation

Mosquitoes are more than just pests; they are highly adapted survivors. They begin their lives in water, where eggs hatch into larvae and eventually mature into pupae before emerging as adults. This aquatic phase is critical for their development, and standing water—whether in natural settings like ponds or artificial containers like old tires—becomes their nursery. Female mosquitoes, driven by the need for protein to develop their eggs, seek out blood meals from humans and animals alike. 

Once they become adults, female mosquitoes embark on a quest for survival that directly impacts human health. Highly motivated by the need for protein to develop their eggs, females seek out blood meals from humans and animals. This process makes them a vector* for diseases such as malaria, dengue, Zika, West Nile Virus, and yellow fever.

 Most of the roughly 3700 mosquito species are harmless. However, three genera of mosquitoes include many mosquito species capable of transmitting diseases to humans: Anopheles, Aedes, and Culex. Adapted to living in and around humans, many species use water found in human-made containers as breeding sites. Citizen scientists are critical detectives who can seek out and remove breeding sites from use in and around where people live and reduce the number of biting mosquitoes in their communities.

Understanding this life cycle is crucial because it highlights the importance of targeting mosquito breeding habitats, especially artificial containers. To reduce the number of mosquitoes that cause diseases in humans, we need to eliminate the places where young mosquitoes become biting adults. Remember, a biting mosquito can transmit disease-causing viruses or parasites in its saliva. This is where the Mosquito Habitat Mapper comes in. 

GLOBE Mosquito Habitat Mapper

GLOBE Mosquito Habitat Mapper connects directly to artificial and natural mosquito breeding habitats by enabling users to document and report these sites through the app. For artificial containers like discarded tires, buckets, or flower pots, the tool allows citizen scientists to identify and geolocate these water-holding objects, assess for mosquito larvae, and even take action by eliminating the standing water to prevent further breeding. 

For natural habitats such as ponds, marshes, or tree holes, the app guides users in observing and recording these environments, providing valuable ground-based data that complements satellite observations. By contributing this information, users help scientists better understand mosquito distribution patterns and support community-level efforts to mitigate mosquito-borne disease risks.

*A vector is an animal or insect that transmits pathogens (disease-causing agents) to people or other animals. Typically, vectors spread pathogens through bites, where they ingest the pathogen from an infected host and then transmit it to a new host when they bite again.

Why Mosquito Habitats Matter

Mosquitoes have earned their reputation as “the world’s deadliest animal.” They kill millions annually through diseases like malaria (responsible for approximately 600,000 deaths each year), dengue (affecting up to 390 million people annually), and Zika virus outbreaks that have had devastating impacts on communities worldwide. 

Your Observations Matter

The GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper empowers individuals to locate and document active mosquito breeding sites.

The process is simple yet impactful:

1. Locate Standing Water: Identify areas where water collects—flowerpots, gutters, toys left outside, puddles, or even something as small as a bottle cap. Use the app to select the habitat type.
2. Observe and Report: Use the app to record details about the habitat, including whether mosquito larvae are present. Mosquito larvae are non-threatening to humans and often serve as a meal for dragonfly larvae, frogs, and fish. 
3. Take Action: Whenever possible, eliminate the breeding site by emptying or covering the water source. 

Your observations contribute to a global database scientists use to understand mosquito populations better and predict outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases. This partnership between citizen scientists and researchers bridges critical data gaps that satellite imagery alone cannot address. 

Connect your GLOBE Observer account with your SciStarter account, and you can track your contributions on your SciStarter dashboard—essentially, you can see the impact of your data collection!

See a short video on connecting your SciStarter account to GLOBE Observer, and then, explore the SciStarter project page for GLOBE Mosquito.

Connecting Local Observations to Global Science

Dr. Di Yang, a researcher at the University of Florida, is at the forefront of integrating citizen science with advanced Earth system modeling to better understand and predict mosquito-borne disease risks in a changing climate. As the principal investigator for the NASA-funded project “Forecasting Mosquito-Borne Disease Risk in a Changing Climate: Integrating GLOBE Citizen Science and NASA Earth System Modeling,” Dr. Yang’s work exemplifies how local observations can enhance global research. 

Dr. Yang’s research combines locally reported data from the GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper with satellite-derived environmental data—such as precipitation, temperature, and land cover—to develop precise models that predict mosquito species distribution under various climate scenarios. Her work highlights how citizen science fills critical gaps in regions with limited or unavailable traditional monitoring.

Two Stories Converge: A Healthier Future for All

With tools like NASA’s GLOBE Observer in your hands, you’re not just observing—you are taking action to reduce the global burden of mosquito-borne diseases. So why not start today? Together, we can unravel these two stories—mosquitoes’ survival versus ours—and create a healthier future for everyone.

How Can You Get Involved?  In four easy steps!

1. Download the free GLOBE Observer mobile app and register for a free account. You will receive a confirmation email with a link to create a password. 
2. Connect your GLOBE Observer account to your SciStarter Account. We recommend you watch a video showing how to do this
3. Start observing by looking for places where water has collected. Then, use the GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper to describe the site and document whether mosquito larvae are present. The app walks you through the steps.
4. Get to know the features of the GLOBE Observer App, including how to see your past observations and those of your friends. 

Optional steps: 

• If mosquito larvae are present, collect a water sample and photograph using a clip-on magnifying lens.
• When you take a Mosquito Habitat observation, also take and submit an observation using the GLOBE Observer Land Cover tool. This is important scientific information that shows the broader landscape of where mosquitoes breed.
• Learn more at on the GLOBE website.
• Join the GLOBE Mission Mosquito Campaign by participating in our monthly webinars.