PHOTO: R. Snow, Hernando County Mosquito Control

ADULT STAGE

The adult mosquito is the start and finish of the life cycle. 

The male mosquito's job is to fertilize females so they can reproduce.  The female's job is to find a blood meal which will enable her to produce eggs and propagate.  A female can lay thousands of eggs during the course of her short life.

video of female drilling for blood **

CREDIT: Michel Cutwa, UF/IFAS Extension

Eggs can be laid directly on the water's surface (singly or in egg rafts), or in the case of some species, on the side of containers or in grass or leaves alongside ditches or lake beds or any other area that may one day be immersed in water. 

Some species' eggs can remain dormant for several months waiting for water to complete their life cycle.  How the female knows the area will eventually flood or fill with water is one of nature's little mysteries.

Once the eggs have water, it takes approx. 2-3 days for them to develop and hatch into larvae (time can vary due to temperature or other conditions)

 video of mosquito laying eggs

(video provided by Clarke Mosquito Control)

PHOTO: R. Snow, Hernando County Mosquito Control

LARVAL STAGE

The larval stage consists of four instars (see picture to right). Most species of larvae breathe at the water's surface through a siphon tube at its tail end.  Some species lay flat against the water surface, while others pierce the root of submerged plants and breathe through the root system.  

All larvae are voracious feeders, needing plenty of nourishment to develop to the next stage.  Larvae or "wigglers" can be seen resting at the water's surface or wiggling downward as they forage for food or attempt to hide from predators.  It is during this stage that larvicide treatments are administered because they are taken into the larva's system while eating.  The larvae are "attacked" while in a confined area, and most importantly, before they become adults.  This is the most efficient time to  treat the mosquitoes.

It takes approximately 5 days for larvae to complete the four instar process (molts). As with the egg stage, time frame can vary due to temperature and other conditions.

video of larva emerging from an egg **

video of larva breathing  (R.Snow, HCMD)

CREDIT: Michel Cutwa, UF/IFAS Extension

PUPAL STAGE

A fourth instar larva curls up into the last of the immature stages, the pupa or "tumbler." 

Pupae do not eat, they float at the top of the water, breathing through a tiny little trumpet-like tube.  Like wigglers, they will tumble to the water's bottom to avoid predators, but need to return to the surface to continue breathing.  Pupae are not affected by larvicides, since they do not eat.  They can, however, be treated with "surfactants," which are surface oils that cover the water's surface and prevent them from being able to breathe.

The pupal stage lasts about 7 days, the final process of development being the adult mosquito emerging from the pupal shell.  The adult mosquito remains on the water's surface for a short period of time, drying its wings and then flying off to eat and mate.

video of adult emerging from pupal stage **