1. REPRODUCTION IN MOSQUITOES
Mating and Eggs
Adult male mosquitoes consume only
nectar; the female mosquitoes are the ones
that bite. After feeding on blood meal and
mating, female mosquitoes lay their eggs
in the water. Generally, mosquitoes try to
lay their eggs in small pools of water that
do not contain fish. While mosquito
populations may be high around large
bodies of water, the egg-laying actually
occurs in small, sheltered puddles of water
along the edge. Some species deposit their
eggs in groups, termed rafts, while other
species lay their eggs individually in a
number of spots.
2. Life Cycle
Mosquitoes exhibit four life stages: egg, larva,
pupa and adult. After one to four days, eggs
hatch into larvae. They look like small, buoyant
worms; colloquially they are called wigglers. The
larvae live in the water, straining organic mater
from the water column for sustenance, for up to
14 days. Mosquitoes then transform into pupae,
somewhat akin to caterpillars' cocoon, except
that pupae are mobile. The pupa stage persists
for a few days until they transform into adults.
The whole life cycle lasts about a week for
males; females may live as long as a month.
Mosquitoes in the aquatic life stages are
consumed by fish, amphibians and larger
insects; adults are hunted by bats and
dragonflies.
