Mosquito Life Cycle
To understand mosquitoes, you must understand their life cycle and habits. These pesky insects have been around for millions of years and have continuously adapted to the environment around them to ensure their survival.
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have a four-stage life cycle. Each stage is easy to identify due to the mosquito's unique appearance in its life cycle. Knowing the stages of the life cycle can be beneficial in mitigating your mosquito problem.
Eggs - A female mosquito usually lays 100 to 300 eggs at a time. Eggs can be laid on top of damp soil or water and will hatch into larvae within a couple of days. For the mosquito egg to hatch, it must be submerged in water.
Larva - Larva are aquatic, peeking up to breathe when needed. They will feed on organic material found in the water and molt their skins as they grow. Molting occurs 4 times during the larvae stage and typically takes 5 to 10 days. During the fourth molting, the larva will move to the next stage of the life cycle.
Pupa - This is a developmental stage in the mosquito life cycle. The pupa does not feed during this stage. Like the metamorphosis process a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly, the pupal stage takes about two days to complete and evolve into an adult mosquito.
Adult - Adults will emerge on the water's surface and must dry before attempting to fly. A couple of days after the mosquito hatches itself from the pupa stage, it will begin feeding on humans and start the breeding process.
Adult males only live for about 10 days. However, the females can survive much longer, even in cold or freezing temperatures. When temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, mosquitoes enter diapause. This is where they delay development and slow their metabolism, staying suspended for several months until the environment is ideal for their needs.
If you're ready to break the mosquito life cycle and take back your outdoors, call 'The Nice Guys' at 888-924-8873 or contact us here to start your free estimate.
