What size range of particles do mosquito larvae feed on?

• A. Anything between 1-5 microns
• B. Anything between 0.1-0.5 microns
• C. Particles larger than 100 microns
• D. Pure water droplets

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how mosquito larvae feed in water. They are filter feeders that sift tiny particles from the surrounding water using mouthparts designed to trap very small material. Their diet consists mostly of microorganisms and detritus suspended in the water, such as tiny algae and bacteria, which fall into the micron size range. Particles around 1–5 microns fit this feeding window, making them ideal targets for ingestion.

Particles much smaller (0.1–0.5 microns) are often too tiny for their filtering apparatus to reliably capture, and particles larger than about 100 microns are generally too big for what they can ingest. Pure water droplets aren’t food at all, so they wouldn’t satisfy the larva’s feeding needs.

So the size range that aligns with what they actually eat is about 1–5 microns.