Ecological Factors Favouring Mosquitoes Breeding in Akoko Northwest Local Government Area, Ondo State, Nigeria

The presence and abundance of mosquito larvae in various aquatic habitats are influenced by specific environmental conditions. This research focuses on analyzing key physicochemical factors, including pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids and electrical conductivity and the physical descriptions including Length, breath, nearness to building and the depth, of breeding sites to determine their roles in creating conducive environments for mosquitoes in Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria. Water samples were collected from multiple breeding sites across the Local Government Area, including stagnant ponds, gutters, and marshes. These samples were analyzed for the aforementioned physicochemical parameters using standard laboratory methods. The results indicated that water bodies were acidic (0.36-7.00), moderate temperatures (20.75-29.000C), moderate dissolved oxygen levels (9.53-19.95), high electrical conductivity (909.50-1985.00µS/cm) and high total dissolved solids (454-945ppm) were most favorable for mosquito larval development. Additionally, Physical description of each of the sites showed that larvae were found in shallow and muddy habitats. The distance between the breeding sites and residential abodes ranged between 3 to 12m, a distance that can easily be covered by vectors, and can allow effective transmission of mosquito borne diseases. The depth in all breeding sites ranged from 0.02 and 0.23, mosquito larvae were seen in breeding sites with depth as low as 0.02 at Ikakumo. Length of the study area had a significant effect on the breeding of Culex species, as longer the length values reduced their presence, mean length from all the sampled sites showed no significant difference across settlements. The range of nearness to building was between 0.36m to 12.98m. Nearness to building had a significant effect on the breeding of Culex species. The study concluded that neglected breeding sites should be monitored and controlled through proper drainage systems and education of locals to avoid breeding of mosquitoes in this Local Government Area which can serve as hot spots for mosquito borne diseases in the local environment.