A little bit of everything: how long does a mosquito live?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

First of all, it should be reported that most insects have a short lifespan. Usually it's a year or less! For example, how long do you think a black cockroach lives? A little - about forty days. A housefly - from one decade to a month, and worker ants - as much as six years! But this is more an exception to the rule than the norm. However, these insects are usually of no interest to anyone, because they do not cause pain to a person, which means they are less visible. Everyone is interested in another question - how long does a mosquito live?

In order not to torment with long expectations, we will answer immediately: these bloodsuckers live from one decade to two months. At the same time, females live longer than males, in fact, as it happens with humans. It turns out that the same mosquito simply physically cannot constantly torment us, preventing us from sleeping at night. He will eventually die of natural causes. And this can not but rejoice, is not it? However, we have gone off topic … Let's take a closer look at the question of how long a mosquito lives, and considerall his life stages.

Stages of life

Who doesn't know, mosquitoes go through exactly four periods of their short existence:

egg development;
larva stage;
pupation;
imago.

All periods of a mosquito's life, except for the adult stage, pass directly in the water. How does this happen and how long does a mosquito live during these periods?

Eggs

The females of these bloodsuckers lay up to three hundred (!) eggs in stagnant water bodies - lakes, swamps, puddles, water on leaves, in "eggplants" filled with water, and so on … At first, the eggs are white, but very soon they darken. The duration of this stage is about a week.

Magul

Then the larvae appear, hanging upside down underwater. They breathe with hollow tubes. They feed on bacteria and other microorganisms, which are attracted to themselves with the help of fan-shaped appendages. In this state, the insect conducts up to four molts.

Chrysalis

The next metamorphosis lasts from two to five days. New tubes necessary for the respiratory processes of the pupa are brought to the surface of the water. It is in the chrysalis that a full-fledged mosquito is formed - an imago.

Imago

This is an adult mosquito that spends the rest of its life in the air. Interestingly, the males always hatch first and form entire swarms to meet their "brides". In addition, males are "vegetarians" (eat flowernectar), and females are "predators". They suck blood from animals and humans.

How long does a mosquito live?

So, the average period of life of bloodsuckers is three weeks. Interestingly, the duration of the existence of this type of insect is affected by both the temperature and the environment around them, because if you kill a bloodsucker, he is no longer a tenant! The availability of nutrition also directly affects their lifespan. Many people are seriously interested in how long a mosquito lives after a bite made to a person … Friends, we answer: exactly as long as it is destined to live by nature, namely, about a month! After all, it doesn’t matter to the mosquito who to bite, the main thing is to be able to do it as profitably as possible for yourself, preferably until the belly is filled with a “red delicacy” so that the insect can barely fly!