Mosquitoes are small flying insects with dark, slender bodies, filmy wings, and three pairs of long delicate legs. Female mosquitoes come equipped with an elongated mouthpiece that is designed to pierce the skin of humans and mammals so they can feed on their blood. This blood helps to stimulate the production of their eggs. The actual bite of the mosquito is generally painless. It is the saliva introduced during the biting process that causes an itchy reaction later on. Globally there are several disease-carrying species of mosquitos, including Aedes albopictus, which has a single bright white stripe on its back, Aedes aegypti which is striped black and white, and the small, brown Culex pipiens mosquito.