How Long Can A Mosquito Live?
The life of a mosquito is not an easy one. The threat of being eaten, poisoned by pesticides, zapped, or swatted is one that is constant. Thus, with so many threats, it would be easy to say that mosquitoes live short lives. But, through adaptation and sheer numbers the winged insects have survived history as one of the deadliest species on the planet. The ideal life span of a mosquito might surprise you.
From the moment a mosquito, whether it is male or female, emerges from its cocoon it has two main directives in life: eating and reproducing. Within the first few days after freeing themselves from their larval and pupal stage, a process that usually takes about 14 days, adult mosquitoes are on the prowl and looking to mate.
And, even though having kids is huge on a mosquitoes to-do list, the males do have to wait for a nearly a day to pass for the full development of their reproductive organs. Their hunt for a mate has to wait and they spend that time consuming nectar, unlike their female counterparts. But with no websites or bars to go meet at, male mosquitoes have to use a different method of finding girls.Male mosquitoes search out females to mate with by listening out for the beat of a females wings, which is usually from 250 to 500 beats per minute.
Once the mosquitoes join, and the females are fertilized, the mosquito life cycle is perpetuated and the job of a male mosquito is done. After mating a male mosquito will usually live for at least three to five days more unless he is killed or eaten. Females, who tend to mate only once in their life, live considerably longer than the opposing gender. Though their life span depends heavily on the levels of warmth and moisture in their environment, a female mosquito can live as long as a month or two under ideal conditions. Females, within that time, will lay eggs about every three days.
This entire life cycle, however, is extremely dependent on water temperature (the ideal water temperature for the larvae of mosquito is in the range of 75 to 80 degrees). A mosquito can go through every stage of its life very quickly, around four to 14 days, with the right conditions. For More…
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