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What is the Lifespan of a Mosquito?
Mosquitoes usually only live for one to two months. However, they are constantly reproducing during this time, meaning that their populations are continually cycling and growing. Newly-hatched mosquitoes reach adulthood in only two weeks!
As soon as they fully mature, mosquitoes look to breed and lay eggs, starting the cycle over again. Mosquitoes usually die naturally in one to two months, but they are also often eaten by predators. Additionally, they will not survive in consistent cold weather.
Stages of the Mosquito Life Cycle
The mosquito life cycle takes about 14 days from hatching to adulthood. It follows these steps:
- Female mosquitoes must first find a blood meal to reproduce. Once obtained, they breed and lay eggs in standing water.
- These eggs hatch in 1-3 days. Their larvae hang from the surface of the water, writhing around looking for algae, protozoans, and other organic material to eat.
- The larvae enter their pupal stage in about 10 days. During this time, they lay dormant at the surface of the water.
- The adult mosquito is ready to go after about 3 days in its pupal stage. They are able to breed one day later and continue to do so for most of their lifetime.
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How Long Can Mosquitoes Live For?
Male mosquitoes usually only live for a week or two past their pupal stage. On the other hand, female mosquitoes can live for well over a month. One interesting thing about mosquito eggs is that they can survive for months without hatching, although this doesn’t occur very often. Mosquitoes have a short life cycle, but their rapid reproduction rate keeps their numbers up all spring and summer long.
How Mosquitoes Die
Mosquitoes usually die of natural causes after a month or two. Their demise comes sooner if they’re born at the end of summer, because mosquitoes can’t survive if temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit consistently. However, this general rule is sometimes defied by mosquitoes that enter a hibernation-like state, surviving though the winter in dormancy.