Although irritating, mosquitos are an integral part of this Earth’s ecosystem, and without them, it would create a huge void for us to fill. Yet, we still don’t like them, and will continue to prematurely end their lives.
So let’s imagine that we didn’t kill them as often, and learn about how long do mosquitos live.
How Long Do Male Mosquitos Live?
Male mosquitos live for one to two weeks, and are capable of engaging with females within one week of maturity.
They have coitus with multiple females over several days; and what gives them the energy to keep up with this high demand is water, the sweet juice from fruits, or the equally sweet nectar from plants, which strengthens their system to successfully court females.
Their biological nature is designed for one purpose: to procreate. They are fixed creatures that simply inseminate their female counterpart in order to continue the mosquito breed. Their seminal fluid is their life-force, and once that is depleted, so is their overall life.
How Long Do Female Mosquitos Live?
Female mosquitos live for four weeks with ideal environments, temperature, and food sources.
Female mosquitos are the powerhouse of the mosquito genus, and they are the ones who go out and obtain food for their young eggs that they carry; and since the females are the driving force that continues the mosquito presence once the males die, they tend to live longer.
Fact: mosquitos can hibernate.
Hibernation is also a reason for the extended life of a female mosquito. The winter is a brutal time for them to fly and obtain food for their eggs, so to conserve their energy, their bodily system will slow down.
Once their body senses that it is warm enough to continue their hunt, it will revive itself and forage for food, or your blood. This hibernation process extends their life by approximately 4- 5 months, totalling their lifespan to 6 months.
How Mosquitos Lifespan Changes Per Species
There are around 3,500 species of mosquitos! What makes them different is not only their size and color, but also their length of longevity after maturing. These 3,500 species fall into three main genus categories: Culex, Aedes, and Anopheles.
Culex
Fact: Culex brand of mosquito prefers not to feed on humans.
The central attribute that determines the length of life for the Culex is the temperature of the air. Because of their small size, the slightest drop or increase in temperature will either lengthen or shorten their life.
They thrive mostly in air temperatures that reach 70 degrees Farenheint, granting them about two weeks of life; but when closer to 80 degrees, it drops down to ten days.
Aedes
The Aedes type of mosquito is prominent within the south and southeastern regions of North America because those areas are prime locations for cultivating mosquito eggs.
Once emerged and matured, the Aedes can live between two weeks and one month in optimal weather conditions of high humidity.
Anopheles
Anopheles mosquitos are the primary carriers of malaria; and this plays a major role in their lifespan.
While in captivity, they can live up to one month – two months if in a laboratory for study. – However, in nature, they tend to only live up to two weeks due to their detrimental disease.
How Long Can A Mosquito Live Without Blood?
Male mosquitoes can live a lifetime without blood because its anatomy is not suited to biting and feeding on blood. That mean a male can live for approximately 10 days without blood because that’s how long they live.
Female mosquitoes can live for up to six months without blood whilst they live dormant during the winter months. However, once the warmer days arrive, a female mosquito needs to have a regular blood meal, otherwise they can only live for around 4 days without one.
Mosquito Lifespan Final Thoughts
At this point, I’m starting to have some sympathy for mosquitos, considering that they live short lives due to excess output of personal life force, or death-causing diseases.
Nevertheless, their cycle will continue to produce more and more mosquitos; and although they have brief lives, their presence on Earth will live on forever.