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What is the Lifespan of a Mosquito?
Mosquitoes live for approximately one week to two months. During their life cycle, they’re constantly reproducing, which means new mosquitoes are always regenerating.
From eggs, they hatch into larvae, turn into pupae and become adults in about 14 days. The adult mosquitoes will breed and lay eggs until they’re killed by the cold, get eaten by a predator, or die naturally.
Mosquito Life Cycle
The reason mosquitoes are so pesky and difficult to get rid of is because it only takes two weeks to go from eggs to mature breeding adult. Mosquitoes go through the following stages during their life cycle:
- Female mosquitoes require a blood meal to reproduce. After feeding, they lay their eggs on or near stagnant water
- The eggs hatch in just one to three days. When the larvae emerge from the eggs, they wiggle in the water, feed on algae, protozoans, and other organic materials
- After about a week or 10 days, the larvae reach the pupal stage. They stop feeding and spend a couple days at the surface of the water getting accustomed to air
- About three days after the pupal stage begins, the mosquito emerges. One day later, the mosquito is able to breed. Female mosquitoes can reproduce and lay eggs for most of her lifetime
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How Long Do Mosquitoes Live?
Male mosquitoes live typically for only one week or two. Female mosquitoes can live for up to about two months. Mosquito eggs, if they do not hatch, are resilient and can survive for months before they’re introduced to water.
The short life cycle of the mosquito is the reason why they’re so difficult to exterminate. New generations are constantly cropping up, and they never stop laying eggs.
Do Mosquitoes Die Off?
Mosquito populations die off naturally when warm spring and summer temperatures end. Mosquitoes cannot tolerate temperatures less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some female mosquitoes are able to survive the winter by hibernating, and unhatched eggs are surprisingly resilient. They can survive for months and even years if they’re not close enough to water and therefore can’t hatch.
Some people believe that mosquitoes die after biting a person. This is of course not true. A female mosquito will continue to bite and feed and lay eggs her entire life.
