evidence: Aquatic samples (mixtures of water and sediment) were analysed from 10 of the 32 larvae sampling sites for their bacterial community. Five additional sites, three from the mainland in Mbita and two from adjacent islands (Ringiti and Takawiri) that also had larvae, were included for comparison of bacteria variation between islands. Selection of the 15 sites for bacteria profiling was based on the species of mosquitoes these sites hosted, and the category of the site (i.e. if a site was located on the lakeshore, boat, abandoned tyre, rock pool, tree hole, etc.). The samples containing a mixture of water and sediment were centrifuged for 10 min at 12,000 g rotational centrifugal force (rcf). The supernatant was discarded and the pellet washed three times in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Total genomic DNA was extracted from the samples using FastDNA® SPIN Kit for Soil (MP Biomedicals, CA, USA) following the manufacturer's instructions.