Family Culicidae

Bodenheimer, (Animal Life in Palestine, 1935) has this to say:
The mosquitoes (Culicidae) embrace the genus Anopheles, which is of great importance as it is a carrier of mlaria. It will be dealt with in a separate chapter. The other mosquitoes are sometimes very irritating blood-suckers (only the female!). They all develop in water but some species tolerate very dirty water, as do most of the common urban species: Culex pipiens, C. laticinctus, and Theobaldia longiareolata. The latter species probably only bites human beings in very exceptional cases, despite its abundance in houses. These species develop commonly in cisterns, concrete tanks, water butts etc., at all times of the year. Uranotaenia unguiculata, Taeniorhynchus buxtoni, Ochlerotatus caspius, and O. detritus breed in the large marshy areas. O. mariae lives in holes (together with small beetles, as Ochthebius sp.) on the rocky sea shore just above the tide level, where the water is even more saline than in the sea. The larvae of the common Culex perexiguus live on filamentous algae, while those of C. tritaeniorhynchus prefer clean water. They are often encountered in footprint holes. C. pipiens is the carrier of bird-malaria among sparrows and other small birds.

From Wikipedia:
The mosquito is a member of the family Culicidae; these insects have a pair of scaled-wings), a slender body, and long legs. The females of most mosquito species suck blood from other animals--including people. This characteristic has made the mosquito an extensive disease vector (carrier) causing the death of millions of people and misery and aggravation to millions more for thousands of years. Their size varies but is rarely greater than 16 mm. Mosquitoes weigh only about 2 to 2.5 mg. A mosquito can travel up to 10 km in a night but usually stay within a few 100 meters of where they were born, and they can fly for 1 to 4 hours continuously at 1-2 km/hr. Winds may disperse them much further. Most species feed at night or in the mornings or evenings, especially the two hours immediately following sunset. Most mosquitoes typically avoiding flying during the heat of the day; but may still bite if disturbed.
Female mosquitos lay their eggs one at a time or together in rafts of a hundred or more eggs on the surface in fresh or any stagnant water. Anopheles and Aedes mosquitoes do not make egg rafts but lay their eggs separately. Culex, Culiseta, and Anopheles lay their eggs on water while Aedes lay their eggs on damp soil that is periodically flooded by water. Most eggs hatch into larvae in about 48 hours. A female mosquito may lay a raft of eggs every third night during its life span if it can find enough blood to develop the eggs.
The hatching eggs turn into larvae that live in the water coming to the surface to breathe. As they grow they shed or molt their skin four times growing larger after each molting. Most larvae use siphon tubes going to the water surface for breathing and hang on or near the water surface. Anopheles larvae do not have a siphon and typically lays parallel to the water surface. The larva eat micro-organisms and organic matter in the water for food. Mosquito larvae, commonly called "wigglers" or "wrigglers", must live in water from 7 to 14 days depending on the water's temperature. At their last molt they may be up to 1 cm long. In each stage they may be eaten by other insects or fish. Mosquito larvae in the genus Toxorhynchites eat other mosquito larvae.
The length of the first three stages is dependent on the species and temperature. Culex tarsalis may complete its life cycle in 14 days at 20 C and only ten days at 25 C. Some species have a life cycle of as little as four days, whereas in other species some adult females can live through the winter, laying their eggs in the spring. Many species of mosquito live their adult stage in roughly two weeks to two months. The larvae are the "wrigglers" or "tumblers" found in puddles or water-filled containers. These breathe air through a siphon at the tail end. The pupae are nearly as active as the larvae, but breathe through thoracic "horns" attached to the thoracic spiracles. Most larvae feed on microorganisms, but a few are predatory on other mosquito larvae. Some mosquito larvae, such as those of Wyeomyia live in unusual situations. These mosquito wigglers live either in the water collected in epiphytic bromeliads or inside water stored in carnivorous pitcher plants. Larvae of the genus Deinocerites live in crab holes along the edge of the ocean. On the fourth molt the larva changes into a pupa.
The pupae are lighter than water and float on the surface as the mosquito larva metamorphosis (changes) into an adult mosquito in about two days. The newly emerged adult must rest on the surface of the water for a short time to allow itself to dry and all its parts to harden before it can fly. This requires still water and is one reason mosquitoes don't grow in fountains or fast moving water.
The total time to go through all four stages depends on the temperature and the type of mosquito; but typically takes about 14 days or less in warmer weather. In some mosquito types this cycle may take from 4 to 30 days. Most mosquito species outside of the tropics overwinter as eggs, but a significant minority overwinter as larvae or adults. Mosquitoes of the genus Culex (a vector for St. Louis encephalitis) overwinter as mated adult females.
Most mosquitoes stay fairly close to the ground and do not range too far from where they were born but may be dispersed long distances by wind. Mosquitoes are not strong flyers making only 1-2 km/hr and a electric fan may make an effect mosquito screen. They feed mostly in the mornings and evenings and occasionally at night; avoiding the heat of the day. During the heat of the day they usually find some where cool and land.