How long does a common mosquito live? How long does a mosquito live?

In the warm season, many summer residents, and even city residents who love outdoor recreation and walks in parks, begin to be overcome by small squeaky insects - mosquitoes. Sometimes there are so many of them that people involuntarily think about the question: “How long does a mosquito live?”

On average, a female mosquito can live for 42 days, but if the air temperature reaches 10 degrees Celsius, her life will increase to 115 days. Males can outlive females exactly twice.

In order to accurately answer this question, first you need to consider the entire life cycle of a mosquito from the first to the fourth stage.

The female mosquito lays her eggs in still water where there is no current. The mosquito spends two to eight days in the egg stage, depending on the water temperature. After this, the larva appears. The mosquito larva feeds by passing water through itself and taking nutrients from it. The next stage is when the larva turns into a pupa. The pupal state lasts three days. The final stage is when a new individual emerges from the pupa, capable of flying and reproducing. After hatching from the pupa, the new individual flies to plants and begins searching for food.

After the emergence of an adult, many factors influence its longevity. Next we will consider them in more detail.

What factors influence the life of a mosquito?

Environment. Presence of animals or humans nearby.
Ambient conditions. Air temperature changes are the main factor - the minimum lifespan is about forty days, this is at a temperature of twenty-five degrees Celsius. A pattern has been revealed that low air temperatures prolong the life of mosquitoes. The maximum cycle is one hundred and twenty days at a temperature of ten degrees Celsius.
Nutrition. If an individual mosquito has enough food and it is regular, then its chances of survival and life expectancy increase.
Floor. A male mosquito lives twice as long as a female. At low temperatures, the male mosquito has less chance of survival. Also, males feed mainly on nectar, therefore they are weaker. The accumulation of strength for survival occurs in the egg and larval stages.
Type of mosquito. Depending on the species, a mosquito can live longer, as it has certain characteristics of adaptation to environmental conditions.

Also, do not forget that the life cycle of a mosquito can be influenced by extraneous factors that do not depend on the individual itself:

Increased air temperature, hot climatic conditions, high air dryness. Despite the fact that the mosquito is a fairly heat-loving insect, overheating is destructive for it.
Overeating. Yes, when a mosquito becomes oversaturated, it dies.
Cold. When the air temperature drops below ten degrees Celsius, the mosquito becomes hypothermic and dies. In most cases, when the temperature drops, the mosquito hibernates and spends the winter quietly in a state of suspended animation. Mosquito eggs laid by a female and not yet able to enter the larval stage survive well low temperatures and can exist under the snow. After warming and the temperature rising to a minimum level, the mosquito egg continues its development and a new individual appears.
Lack of food. For any living organism, hunger is fatal. A mosquito can only live for two days without food.
No one is immune from the onset of old age, not even mosquitoes.
In the food chain, the mosquito is a food source for birds and frogs.
A person can also end the life of a mosquito by killing it through a bite or using chemicals.

Features of the life of a mosquito

It is worth noting that the life cycle of a mosquito has nothing to do with the bite. After a bite, individuals live calmly and enjoy life, since the bite is a way of feeding. On average at good situation In two hours, a mosquito can eat up to eight times and feel great. But it is worth paying attention to the fact that when a mosquito bites a person, the second person feels pain and the reaction to it forces him to swat the annoying insect. Therefore, there is still a connection.

Do not forget that with regular feeding and favorable living conditions, every two to three days, a female mosquito lays eggs. The number of eggs laid is measured in tens, or even hundreds; subsequently, from these eggs, adult individuals soon emerge, which are ready to feed and reproduce.

Another fact of the life of a mosquito. After mating, the fertilized female seeks blood for nutrition. After the bite, the incoming blood is digested and contributes to the maturation of the eggs. Therefore, there is a possibility that the female and her future offspring will be killed. As a rule, after satiation, the fertilized female loses her desire to feed until the next mating and fertilization. A female mosquito can smell blood two kilometers away. In one summer period There may be three to four generations of mosquitoes. Poor climatic conditions force mosquitoes to adapt to new conditions and adapt to the environment, which leads to an increase in life cycle. Therefore, after fertilization, females no longer always need blood saturation; they can lay eggs anyway.

Mosquitoes today are distributed throughout almost the entire territory of our planet. The only place where you cannot find this insect is Antarctica. Scientifically, there are more than three thousand species of mosquitoes, about a hundred of them live in our country. Despite the fact that each of us is familiar with this “bloodsucker,” not everyone knows how long the common mosquito lives and what its life cycle is.

Lifespan of mosquitoes

Scientists have found that the lifespan of a common mosquito depends on several factors:

Habitats.
Air temperatures.
Insect feeding.

At the same time, the most important factor is exactly temperature regime insect life. In addition, it has also been established that female mosquitoes live almost 2 times longer than males, although the reason for this difference has not yet been established by scientists.

So, the life expectancy of a mosquito, or rather its female, will be as follows:

About 43 days at 25°C
58 days – at 20°C.
114 days – at 15°C.
119 days – at 10°C.

Accordingly, in each of these cases, the male’s life will be half as long.

On your own life path the insect goes through several stages of development.

A new individual hatches from an egg that was laid by a female in stagnant water. It is in the reservoir that the first stage of the insect’s life – the larva – will take place. During this period, the mosquito is very similar to a small worm, which, despite its small size, passes through itself up to a liter of water per day. Thanks to this, he provides himself with food - collecting the smallest pieces that are in the water. Some types of such larvae are used by fishermen, making them into bait for fishing - bloodworms.

The larvae breathe through special respiratory tracts, which are located in the back of the body and are exposed to the surface of the water.

As we wrote above, the average life expectancy of a mosquito will depend on its gender, habitat and temperature. Thus, an adult male mosquito lives on average about 20 days, but a female mosquito lives at least 40. Often the lifespan of these insects is shortened for the following reasons:

Exposure to high temperatures.
Oversaturation.
Cold.
Malnutrition.
The mosquito is eaten by an insectivore or destroyed by a person.

How many days does a mosquito live after being bitten?

To begin with, it is worth clarifying the fact that only female mosquitoes feed on blood, while males consume nectar. In addition, they need blood not so much to satiate themselves as to breed offspring.

If after fertilization the female mosquito is not saturated with blood, this does not mean that she will not be able to lay eggs, but such a situation will have consequences: firstly, the offspring in this case will be very weak, and the female herself will most likely die will die.

If the female breeds after being saturated with blood, this will not only create a stronger young generation of mosquitoes, but will also save her life.

Thus, we can confidently say that the common belief that a mosquito bite leads to its death is wrong. A sexually mature female is able to feed about 8 times in a few hours, while feeling quite well.

The answer to the question of how long a mosquito lives after biting a person can only be this: after a bite, a mosquito lives from a few seconds (if you killed it in the process of sucking blood) to several months, if no circumstances disrupt its life cycle.

Another interesting fact is that, despite the fact that high temperatures have a negative impact on the life expectancy of mosquitoes, they are quite thermophilic. Surely, you have noticed that when entering a room, mosquitoes often accumulate under the ceiling, where the air is usually warmer.

How long do flies and mosquitoes live on the planet? Enough for a long time so that everyone can get tired of it.

Mosquitoes: Pesky Bloodsuckers

Mosquitoes... These annoying insects are familiar to everyone, and communication with them brings pleasure only to one of the parties - the mosquito. They will reach you both in the deep forest and in " concrete jungle» cities; their characteristic high sensitivity is present due to specific olfactory organs - the antennae, on which 72 receptors are located. Thanks to them, this small creature is able to smell the smell of sweat many kilometers away. Mosquitoes are also able to see in the infrared spectrum, so you can’t hide from them even under a blanket at night. Emitting a nasty squeak, hordes of such insects mercilessly attack humans in all corners of the planet (except perhaps Antarctica), who is forced to fight them day and night and search for various methods protection.

In such a struggle, the question involuntarily arises: “How long do mosquitoes live and when will they finally give up the ghost?”

Blood is my favorite food

Blood for a mosquito is the main source of nutrition, providing it with energy and nutrients. This is a kind of storehouse of protein - the building foundation for eggs. Moreover, only females drink human blood; they also feed on the blood of birds, reptiles and animals. It even happens that fish become victims of mosquitoes. But harmless males are quite happy with flower nectar. An adult mosquito is capable of feeding itself on blood more than 8 times in a few hours, so 3-4 mosquitoes flying into a room and attacking their prey seem like a whole horde to a person. Vibrating their wings from 600 to 100 times per second, they emit a thin, irritating squeak; in males it is much thinner than in females.

How long do mosquitoes live? There is an opinion that after saturation with blood, the female mosquito dies; in fact, it “stretches its paws” after laying eggs, and even then in a state of hunger. A well-fed individual replenishes the mosquito troops with 20-300 eggs every 2-3 days, leaving them in wet soil or reservoirs and going after laying in search of their daily bread. Having found a suitable object, the mosquito lands on the skin and cuts through the latter with its saw-like jaws, after which it lowers its proboscis and injects an enzyme that slows blood clotting (anticoagulant) and an anesthetic inside. Irritation and swelling at the site of the bite are caused by mosquito saliva.

Why are mosquitoes dangerous?

Mosquito bites are deadly for some people who experience allergy attacks due to anticoagulant exposure. Intoxication and even anaphylactic shock - such a sad result can be contact between a mosquito and a person. Therefore, the question “how long do mosquitoes live in an apartment” is of constant relevance to humans. By the way, in ancient times the Chinese used these squeaky insects as a murder weapon. In a swampy area, they tied a naked victim to some tree and left it to be eaten by mosquitoes, which flocked in hungry hordes to profit from the prey. The man as a result is so terrible torture died from exsanguination or anaphylactic shock.

How long do mosquitoes live?

Having been convinced from the above, and from my own experience, that the mosquito is omnipresent, annoying and dangerous, I would like to know exactly its lifespan. How long do mosquitoes live without blood? This depends on several factors:

habitat;
regularity of nutrition;
temperature environment- the most important condition for survival.

At +25 o C a female mosquito will live up to 43 days, at +20 o C the period will increase to 58 days, at +15 o C the female’s life expectancy will be 114 days, at +10 o C - 119 days.

Males live twice as long. All this is subject to a carefree existence, without the interference of extraneous factors: death at the hands of man, cold summer or have a delicious lunch for a toad.

Mosquitoes can survive

Low temperatures are not scary for mosquitoes, because the latter are able to adapt well to environmental conditions. Falling into suspended animation in winter, they remain in a state of sleep until favorable conditions occur. That is, these insects are not going to die prematurely on their own; only external factors. Even their eggs are able to survive under a layer of snow. By the way, one of the species of mosquitoes that lives in the Himalayas is able to remain active even at 16 degrees below zero. The main habitat for them are tunnels and cracks in the body of the glacier. Therefore, determining how long mosquitoes live is quite difficult; The average life expectancy under favorable conditions is about 3 months.

Mosquito refers to Diptera family, long-whiskered group. It has transparent functioning wings, three pairs of thin long legs and an oblong body. A pair of antennae and a proboscis are noticeable on the head, with the help of which the insect pierces the wall of a blood vessel, making a bite.

In Russia alone there are more than 100 species of mosquitoes, and in the world there are more than 3000. They have spread across all continents globe, even to a continent with constant sub-zero temperatures - Antarctica. In tropical regions, bloodsuckers are active all year round due to the warm humid climate, in mid-latitudes they overwinter in a state of diapause, and in the Arctic they remain active for only about two weeks.

Surprisingly, males eat plant sap and flower nectar. They never bite warm-blooded animals; they have no need to do so. Mosquitoes only irritate with their annoying squeaking and buzzing over the ear, and Only females bite. They can also feed on nectar, but mosquitoes need protein needed. Having received this from the blood building material, the female lays eggs. The maturation of an insect from an egg to an active adult state takes only a week, going through several stages:

egg;
larva;
chrysalis;
imago (adult).

It is believed that after being bitten by a female mosquito, she will live for just a few hours, but this opinion is erroneous. Lipids from the blood make it stronger and more energetic, and do not shorten life. If the female does not find the victim and does not bite, then after hatching the offspring she will weaken and may die, and the brood will contain frail and small mosquitoes.

Upon reaching maturity, the female lays up to 150 eggs every three days on a damp surface or on water. The eggs mature for 1-3 days, then they hatch into larvae that feed on bacteria and microorganisms from the water. This state lasts about a week, during which the larva molts several times, turning into a pupa. After 3-4 days, new mosquitoes emerge from the cocoons, which will be ready for mating in 5-6 days.

How long does a common mosquito live?

Physiologically, the life of females is twice as long as the life of a male, even taking into account the fact that males are less susceptible to the risk of being killed. Average duration The life of a mosquito depends on the temperature of its habitat:

Under favorable conditions and adequate nutrition average The lifespan of insects is 41-45 days. Blood increases it for 3-6 days.

A number of factors shorten the life of bloodsuckers:

glut;
low or high temperatures;
lack of nutrition;
chemical poisoning;
the risk of being killed when biting;
serve as food for insectivorous birds and animals.

By by and large low temperatures are not so scary for mosquitoes. In winter, insects continue to live, falling into diapause. This state is similar to suspended animation, but not as deep. It can occur any number of times at any stage of development. This is a kind of break, slowing down the metabolism for the period necessary for survival.

How long does a mosquito live in an apartment?

The penetration of insects into human habitation often goes unnoticed. During the day, they hide in dark places, hide in cracks, and sit quietly behind furniture. After sunset the flyers are activated. An annoying buzzing noise interferes with evening rest, and numerous bites force you to spend sleepless nights. It seems as if there are hordes of insects in the apartment. In fact, it can be 3-4 mosquitoes, among which only 1-2 are females, because the female can make as many bites as he wants during the night.

There are several facts that affect the lifespan of an insect outside natural conditions. Various poisonous and repellent agents are used in human homes to kill mosquitoes. Fumigators are widespread and can be found in almost every home. In addition, when bitten, a person feels a sharp pain, which causes an immediate reaction in the form of a slap with the palm.

If you do not use third-party means of destruction, the male will still not live long. There is little nectar in the apartment, and the lack of food will affect you quite quickly. However, the female can live quite comfortably for two months, feeding on the blood of humans or domestic animals. And if fertilization occurs, she can even produce decent offspring by laying eggs in a dark, damp place, for example, under a bathtub.

There is no person who is not familiar with mosquitoes. These insects can turn the night into a real nightmare with their buzzing. If insomnia continues for several days in a row, then you want to know how long mosquitoes live in the apartment, and when this nightmare will stop. To understand the problem, let's clarify how long a mosquito lives and what affects its lifespan.

Common mosquito: features

Everyone knows what the little bloodsucker looks like - an elongated body with gray-yellow flowers, transparent wings and a proboscis. But not everyone is aware that mosquitoes feed on nectar and pollen. Surprised? What about the bites? – you ask. Females bite, and not always.

It seems impossible to get rid of mosquitoes. They, like Koschey the Immortal, are constantly reborn and multiply in hundreds. Let's find out how long insects live. The length of stay varies between sexes. If a female can live up to 3 months, then the lifespan of an ordinary male mosquito is half that. This is when optimal conditions with a thermometer reading of +10.

During these 3 months, the female must lay eggs. To breed, she needs nutrients. It is during this period that females turn into bloodsuckers. The female mosquito does not care about human or animal blood, the main thing is that the mosquito eggs are laid and the babies grow strong. In just 7 days, insects go through all stages of mosquito development, turning into adults.

On the insect's head there are antennae with 72 receptors. Thanks to this, the mosquito can smell the victim's sweat from a kilometer away. What can we say about several square meters. And throughout the life of a mosquito, females require blood during the mating season. Therefore, the bites do not stop from spring to autumn.

How long do mosquitoes live?

During mating season the female mosquito becomes an aggressive bloodsucker. She needs blood for procreation. How many years mosquitoes live depends on the following factors:

Thermometer indicators.
Areas of residence.
Presence of blood.

It is the air temperature and the opportunity to feed that prolong the life of the mosquito. Optimum temperature +10 degrees. As the thermometer reading increases, life expectancy decreases.

The availability of food is also important. How long does a common mosquito live after biting a person? Up to 119 days. It is the blood that helps the female lay eggs, stocking up on nutrients. If there is no blood, then the exhausted organism gives up all its energy to its descendants, and the insect dies. Therefore, when answering the question of how long mosquitoes live after a bite, it is important to know that the more opportunities there are to eat, the longer the bloodsucker will live.

To summarize, let’s find out how long the insects in the table live, provided they have a constant source of food. We take females into account, because we are interested in how long a female mosquito lives.

Finding out how many days mosquitoes live, it turns out that the lower the temperature, the longer. Despite this, mosquitoes are heat-loving. That’s why in an apartment they often sit on the ceiling, where the air temperature is higher and where it’s difficult to reach with slippers.

How long does a mosquito live in an apartment?

When answering the question of how long mosquitoes live, it is worth considering that indoors good conditions for the entire life cycle of a mosquito. After 2-3 days, a mosquito appears from the egg, and after a week it turns into an adult, ready to reproduce and enjoy life.

At one time, the female lays 30-150 eggs. If the temperature is +10 and there is a constant source of food, then the mosquito’s life cycle can become continuous. When the temperature rises to +25, the lifespan of mosquitoes is tamed.

Eggs thrive in dark, damp places. Answering the question of how many years a mosquito lives, we can say 3 months. If a female mosquito appears in the apartment, then having access to blood, she will lay eggs in the bathroom, toilet or pantry, providing company for the entire summer period.

How long do mosquitoes live after biting a person?

Still wondering if a mosquito dies after biting a person? There is a consideration that the insect dies after drinking blood. But this is not entirely true. What happens to a mosquito after it drinks blood? Nothing, the female continues to live her life. Moreover, in an hour a mosquito can feed up to 8 times, so if there are 2-3 mosquitoes in a room, it seems that there are at least a dozen of them.

Are you interested in how long a mosquito lives after biting a person? Until you slam him. Otherwise, the female will lay eggs. The mosquitoes will hatch strong, and their mother will be ready to continue feeding and reproducing. Therefore, answering the question of how long mosquitoes live in an apartment after a bite, there is no definite answer. If conditions are favorable, the female will annoy for up to 43 days in the summer. If the bloodsucker is affected, the life of the mosquito is shortened to a few seconds (if you quickly swat it).

Let's summarize how long a mosquito lives after being bitten. Life expectancy is influenced by air temperature, habitat and access to food. If the male feels great after eating pollen, then the female needs blood. Human or animal blood is suitable to saturate the body with vital energy. During periods of starvation, females can even use fish as food.

If the female does not get enough blood, then after laying eggs she dies. That’s why females are so bloodthirsty, because they need to breed healthy offspring and continue to buzz in your ear. The larvae are resistant to temperature changes and can survive even under snow.

Knowing weaknesses bloodthirsty insect, you can successfully fight it. No idea how to do this or have additional questions? Contact us for a consultation and we will tell you the secrets of a successful fight. We are waiting for your call!