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What is the Lifespan of a Mosquito?
A mosquito’s average lifespan is only one to two months. They are constantly reproducing, though, which means that their population is in a continual cycle. It only takes newly-hatched larvae two weeks to develop into full-grown mosquitoes.
From this point, the adult mosquitoes restart the cycle by breeding and laying eggs. Mosquitoes will start to die off when temperatures drop, when they are eaten by predators, or will die naturally a month or two after hatching.
What is the Mosquito Life Cycle?
The mosquito life cycle usually takes two weeks to complete. In general, it carries out as follows:
- Female mosquitoes find a blood meal that allows them to reproduce. After they feed, they look for standing water to lay their eggs on.
- The eggs then hatch within 1 to 3 days. The larvae emerge from the eggs to writhe around in the water. They spend this time eating algae, protozoans, and other organic material.
- After a week to 10 days, the larvae become pupae. In place of feeding, the pupae hang around at the surface of the water, getting acclimated to the air.
- After about three days in the pupal stage, the adult mosquito has developed. They are prepared to breed only a day later. Female mosquitoes have the ability to reproduce for almost their whole lives.
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How Long Do Mosquitoes Live For?
Male mosquitoes only live for about a week or two into adulthood. On the flip side, female mosquitoes can live for over a month. Mosquito eggs that fail to hatch can survive for months before hatching in some cases. Although mosquitoes have short lives, their continual reproduction keeps mosquito populations sustained during the summer months.
What Causes Mosquitoes to Die?
Mosquitoes do not die after they feed on a host. In fact, female mosquitoes feed throughout their lifetime. Mosquitoes die naturally after living for a month or two. Their populations dwindle when the warmer temperatures of spring and summer recede into winter. This is because mosquito bodies cannot handle temperatures below 50 degrees. In rare cases, females can hibernate through the winter, and their eggs can survive unhatched for months.
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What is the Lifespan of a Mosquito? in Virginia
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