Mosquitoes are one of the most widespread insects on Earth. They live almost everywhere except Antarctica. Today, there are more than 3600 species of mosquitoes. These insects not only irritably squeak and bite, but also carry dangerous diseases such as Dengue fever, Zika virus, malaria, typhoid and others.
Even if the mosquito is not a carrier of infection, its bite leaves unpleasant sensations and consequences in the form of a swollen bump that constantly itches. However, there are positive aspects to mosquitoes as well. Many species of birds feed on their larvae, and the remains of mosquitoes are organic fertilizers. Next, we will consider the life cycle of mosquitoes and the peculiarities of their survival in different environments.
How long do mosquitoes live?
The lifespan of mosquitoes is affected by factors:
- sex of the individual;
- air temperature;
- humidity level;
- availability of food.
The average lifespan of mosquito males is 3 weeks, of mosquito females is 2 months. The lifespan of females is strictly related to temperature:
| Temperature in celsius | temperature in fahrenheit | lifespan of mosquito female |
|---|---|---|
| below 10°C | below 50°F | numbness state |
| between 10°C and 15°C | between 50°F and 59°F | up to 119 days |
| at 20°C | at 68°F | 57 days |
| at 25°C | at 77°F | 43 days |
The above shown figures are valid if the mosquito has access to carbohydrate food and the humidity of the environment is high. At temperatures below 10°C (50°F) mosquitoes become numbness. In this state, they can stay until the onset of spring. Then the time during which the insect “slept” is added to the lifespan.
The life cycle of a mosquito includes 4 stages:
- Egg. After coupling with the male, the female needs to lay eggs. The ideal place for this would be a pond with stagnant water or damp ground. Each clutch can contain from 30 to 280 eggs.
- Larva. Depending on the air temperature, after 2-8 days, eggs are formed into larvae. The larvae are similar to small worms. They feed by filtering water from which nutrients are extracted. About 1 liter of liquid passes through 1 mosquito larva per day.
- Case-worm. After about 20 days, the larvae become case-worm.
- Imago. Imago mosquito appears 5 days after the case-worm. He will be able to start propagating in a week.
Adult insects feed on carbohydrate food – flower nectar and plant leaf juice. Decaying vegetation can serve as a food source. Only females feed on blood.
| Stage | days after laying eggs |
|---|---|
| Egg | 0 day |
| Larva | 2-8 days |
| Case-worm | 20 days |
| Imago | 25 days |
How long do mosquitoes live indoors?
The average lifespan of a mosquito is four days to a month. Although most mosquito species live for about two weeks, it can seem like an eternity when it comes to their annoying habits. It must be taken into consideration that after a bite, a female mosquito can lay up to 300 eggs at a time, so they propagate constantly.
The lifespan of a mosquito in a room:
| temperature in celsius | temperature in fahrenheit | female mosquito lifespan | male mosquito lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|
| between 10°C and 15°C | between 50°F and 59°F | up to 43 days | up to 22 days |
| between 15°C and 20°C | between 59°F and 68°F | up to 58 days | up to 29 days |
| between 20°C and 23°C | between 68°F and 74°F | up to 114 days | up to 57 days |
| from 23°C | from 74°F | up to 120 days | up to 60 days |
After coupling, the male lives no more than 5 days, and the female up to 2 months, depending on how many degrees are in the apartment. If we proceed from the fact that indoors most often it is + 20 … 25 ° C, females live 45-60 days, and males – 20-30.
In favorable conditions, the female will regularly fertilize and lay more and more eggs. Thus, there will always be a lot of mosquitoes in the house or apartment if you do not fight them. But this is true only on the condition that the room is residential, since the insect needs fresh blood to batch off eggs. How long a mosquito lives in a house depends on the quality of food. If there is no access to blood, the female will die, having made 1-2 clutches, as her body will be depleted.
How long do mosquitoes live without blood?
Males and females, eating only plant foods, can live up to their maximum lifespan. But in order to lay eggs, the female needs protein and lipids. She gets them from the blood of mammals, including humans. Without their blood, she would not be able to lay eggs.
Females of some mosquito species can reproduce without feeding on blood. But the lack of protein food leads to a decrease in the number of eggs laid.
How long do mosquitoes live after they bite you?
Some believe that mosquitoes, like bees, die after being bitten. This opinion is wrong. Interesting, only adult female mosquitoes bite humans (or other warm-blooded animals) and feed on their blood.
The process of biting-coupling goes on endlessly if the ravening is nearby. Under favorable conditions, the insect can lay eggs at intervals of 2-3 days. Thus, if the insect can find enough food in the form of human blood (and can avoid death!), it will theoretically bite the person over and over again for weeks before dying of old age.
How long do mosquitoes live after they hatch?
How and how long mosquitoes live, what conditions are most favorable for them, few people know. Their life begins with hatching from an egg laid by a female in some stagnant water. The first stage of the life cycle takes place in this reservoir. Being a larva (very similar to a small worm), the future mosquito passes through itself up to a liter of water per day. This allows him to collect a variety of tiny pieces of food. They breathe through the pipes located in the back, exposing it to the surface of the water.
The next step of life stage is the transformation of the larva into a case-worm and the hatching from it of an imago capable of flight. Actually, this is how these little “vampires” appear. The lifespan of a mosquito depends on temperature, gender, and food abundance. It can vary from two weeks to several months.
How long do mosquito larvae live?
A larva hatches from the egg. Most of the larvae breathe using thin tubes that stretch them to the surface. Other larvae simply float on the surface to breathe, the rest, for oxygen, attach to plants underwater. During this stage, the larva goes through 4 phases. It changes skin and grows. The larvae feed on microorganisms, but some can feast on their fellows. After the larva has passed these 4 phases, it turns into a case-worm.
Many people have already got used to the coexistence of mosquitoes and for them it is not a problem for these insects to appear in the warm season. Regardless of such a factor, you need to know that there are dangerous types of mosquitoes that can carry even fatal diseases. It is important not to forget about the mosquito repellents and remedies that will help to cope with the consequences of bites.
