The Mosquito Life Cycle

Mosquito development can be broken into four stages. The first stage begins when a mosquito lays her eggs. Eggs are laid in groups called rafts in some species and are laid singly in other species. Egg rafts are laid directly on standing water. Usually these eggs will hatch within 2-3 days. Most species that lay their eggs singly, lay them on muddy or damp soil. These eggs may lie dormant for long periods of time until the ground becomes flooded again. Then they hatch often within minutes of being submerged. In both cases larvae are produced in the egg hatch.

Larvae go through four instar periods. The larvae grow in each instar until they reach a size where they must shed their exoskeleton or molt. This process repeats itself three more times. After the 4th molt, the larvae are fully developed and enter a pupal stage. In this pupal stage, the larval structures change or metamorphose into adult structures. When this change is complete, an adult mosquito will emerge from the pupal case.

Newly emerged adults are not able to fly. Generally 12-14 hours must pass before their bodies are fully developed and capable of flight. The whole process from hatched egg to flying adult takes between 4 and 14 days. Variables such as food availability, temperature, and day length have a large influence on the time necessary for mosquito development. Most mosquitoes mate in swarms, normally at twilight. Then the female mosquito will require a bloodmeal to develop her fertilized eggs. Some autogenous species are able to develop their eggs, or sometimes their first brood of eggs, without a bloodmeal. Male mosquitoes do not have mouthparts suited for taking blood. They feed primarily on flower nectar and plant juices. Adult female mosquitoes finish the reproduction cycle by laying their eggs.

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