The Mosquito Life cycle
Mosquitos lay their eggs, which look like little pieces of black dirt, just above the water line in containers, tires, pots, buckets and generally anything that holds even a small amount of water. Depending on weather conditions, the adult mosquito can emerge in as little as 8-10days, or up to a month. The eggs stick to the walls like glue, and can survive a dry out for up to 8 months.
Larvae emerge from the mosquitos eggs, but not until the water levels rise to cover the eggs. Adding water to containers or rain water can allow this to happen. Larvae will feed on microorganisms in the water as they molt up to three times before moving to the next stage, which is the pupa. Pupa develop until the body of the adult mosquito is formed, and then emerges out of the pupal skin, and leaves the water.
After the adult mosquito leaves the water, males will feed on nectar from flowers, and it is the adult female mosquito that feeds on humans and animals to obtain blood to lay eggs. Once the feeding has occurred, the female mosquito will search for more water to layer eggs. They may lay up to 100 eggs a time!
The ads aegypti mosquito, unlike other mosquito species, prefer to feed on humans. They also prefer to live near people and can be found in your home, buildings, and businesses a like that have open windows and door screens that are not used or doors that are left propped open.
So, be sure to keep those water levels low, and change out any water in bird baths, kiddie pools or any standing water to help reduce the amount of mosquitos the make it through the life cycle. and remember, they can service a dry out for up to months so consistency is key. Protecting yourself with repellents and a good IPM from a local mosquito company is also a good idea. Don't want to pay a company to spray? Check out our article "Spray it Yourself" to find out how you can implement your own IPM to rid your yard of adult mosquitos.
Sources: www.cdc.com; www.mas.gov
article Written by: Dan Giachetti- Owner @ All Organic MTC Inc.
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