Mosquito Life Cycle

Mosquitoes go through four different stages of life throughout their development. The first three of those stages are dependent on temperature and species. Those factors also impact the life expectency of the mosquitoes, which life anywhere from a few days to several weeks.

Egg
Mosquito eggs are layed by the female in sources of water ranging from large lakes to small standing bodies of water such as puddles, buckets, and swimming pools. If necessary, rhe eggs are able to survive through the Winter and hatch once Spring arrives.

Larva
Mosquito larva, also known as Wigglers, live in water and breathe air through syphons at the end of their tails. During this stage the larva filter food through their mouth parts. They also shed their skin several times.

Pupa
Once the larva become pupae, also known as Tumblers, they no longer eat, and now breathe through "horns" as they rest near the surface of the water. At the end of this part of the cycle the pupae encase themselves.

Adult
While encased, the pupae transform into adult mosquitoes. Once they are ready they break out of the encasement and crawl onto dry land. There they wait until their skeleton hardens and are able to fly. Once they are able to fly mosquitoes have two objectives: to mate and to feed. After mating the males seek out nectar to feed on from plants and fruit. The females require protein to lay their eggs, so they feed on the blood of humans and other animals. Once they have enough nutrients to lay their eggs they do so, and the life cycle is complete.