How long does a common mosquito live? How long does a mosquito live after biting a person?

Mosquitoes are little more than an everyday nuisance. In addition to an annoying squeak at dusk, painful bites and excruciating itching, they can carry pathogens of serious diseases, including viruses, yellow fever and other life-threatening infections. Therefore, measures to eradicate mosquitoes in residential and public open areas should be as active as possible.

A general useful tip would be to limit the amount of time you are under open air during peak mosquito activity. But how do you know when you are most likely to become a victim of a mosquito bite? In those months when clouds of mosquitoes swarm in the yard, you can always encounter them everywhere. To avoid such unwanted encounters, you need to first look at when the peak of the “mosquito season” is in different areas. Let's also try to determine the time of day when mosquitoes go on the warpath.

At what time of day are you most likely to encounter mosquitoes?

There are 176 species of mosquitoes in the United States and different types have varying degrees activities and habits. Some most. Others attack more often at night, in the evening twilight or at dawn. For most mosquito species in the United States, peak activity occurs during evening hours. If you go outside at sunset, especially in wooded, shaded areas, near ponds, swamps and other places where stagnant water accumulates, you need to take extraordinary measures to control mosquitoes, otherwise you will not avoid severe bites.

The two most common species of mosquitoes in the United States are Aedes albopictus, known as the Asian tiger mosquito, which is found in the southern part of the country, and the well-known Culex pipiens, or house mosquito, which is widespread throughout the world. The Asian mosquito bites humans mainly in the morning and afternoon, in the light of the sun, often taking the victim, who is not expecting an attack, by surprise. The common mosquito has much more modest habits; it sits in a shelter during the day and flies out to hunt in the dark, early in the morning or late in the evening.

However, in the midday heat, when the sun is at its zenith, both types of mosquitoes prefer to escape from its scorching rays in the grass.

If a mosquito finds a loophole in yours, dehydration is under direct sun rays he is no longer in danger. Mosquito activity lasts much longer indoors than outdoors. This is due to the stability of temperature and humidity in the premises. Of course, maximum mosquito activity also means maximum likelihood of bites.

Are mosquitoes active at night?

As noted above, the common mosquito and many other species of mosquitoes fly out to hunt and feed mainly after sunset. They try their best to avoid daytime activity, since exposure to the sun very quickly dehydrates their moisture-dependent bodies. The sun can kill a mosquito in a matter of hours.

On a hot afternoon, mosquitoes look for cool, damp, shaded corners, where they stay until dusk. Nocturnal mosquitoes most often bite people in the evening, immediately after leaving their daytime shelter. Females need blood more than food - even hunger cannot cope with the instinct of procreation. First, they need to drink blood and lay eggs, and only then they can eat plant nectar, which is the real food of all insects. Blood is needed solely to support reproductive processes.

After the night's "activity" at dawn, mosquitoes look for a new shelter and hide there until the evening. This cycle involves the greatest risk of being bitten in the evening and a decrease in this risk as the morning approaches. That is why it is very important not to allow night mosquitoes into the premises where people rest. A sleeping person or is the ideal and only target for a night mosquito. If in nature he has a choice, then in the house he simply has no one to attack except you. Moreover, you are sleeping and are not particularly resisting.

Mosquito season

A lot is said and written about “” on the Internet. This season offers the greatest chance of being bitten by mosquitoes and possibly contracting one of the many tropical diseases they carry. Most people think that mosquitoes are active only in the summer, but this is not entirely true. It all depends on the temperature curve in a particular area. There are species of mosquitoes that completely die out during the winter cold, and are revived in the spring only due to the eggs and larvae that survived the winter. Others fall into the imago stage (although only females are capable of this).

The magic point on the thermometer, which means the inevitable awakening of sleeping mosquitoes and the hatching of larvae from eggs is +10° Celsius. If the temperature does not drop below this value during the day, mosquitoes are right there. This applies to both overwintered adults and incubated embryos.

You can even observe with your own eyes the autumn decline and spring revival of the mosquito population. With the first frost, mosquitoes very quickly, as if by magic, disappear from sight. Unlike flies, which still fly or crawl sluggishly for some time, mosquitoes simply disappear, as if they had been licked long tongue chameleon or platypus. However, the first rays of the spring sun at the end of April or May (depending on the latitude) instantly awaken mosquitoes, which rush in search of fresh blood, so necessary for the revival of the population. If at this time you do not take measures to control the number of mosquitoes, for example, with the help, then within a few weeks the number of mosquitoes in the vicinity of your dacha or house will return to last year.

Of course, in general, the activity of all mosquito species living in the United States is highest in summer months, especially if the temperature exceeds +27°C. But in Alaska this weather lasts for a matter of days, but in, say, Florida or Texas it lasts from February to November.

The beginning of mosquito activity in different parts of America

IN different parts Mosquito activity varies across countries. First of all, it depends on when the average daily temperature steadily exceeds the critical level of +10°C. For southern states, this could come in March or even February. In other regions, mosquitoes fly only in June, or even later. In the hottest parts of the country, mosquitoes can be active all year round. Given all this, it is quite difficult to create a clear map of the duration of the mosquito season - it can change depending on many factors.

Texas, for example, is home to 85 species of mosquitoes, more than any other state. Since the climate there is very hot, in the southern part the mosquito season begins in February. Equally early start demonstrates . Here, high insect activity is often observed already in early February. And since there is no snow here even in January, and the climate is warm and humid, mosquitoes, in fact, do not even have time to hibernate properly, but are rather in a state of diapause, a short-term decrease in vital activity.

At the same time, in northern Texas and southern California, as well as in Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, New Mexico and parts of Arizona, the mosquito season does not begin until early March. In the northern parts of California, Utah, Nevada, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky and other nearby states, mosquitoes become active only in early April. In parts of Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Illinois and the northeast coast states, mosquitoes should not be expected until late April. In the most northern regions The United States should not be afraid of the arrival of mosquitoes until May, preparing Mosquito Magnet traps for battle at the beginning and even in the middle of the latter spring month. The shortest (but not necessarily the quietest) anti-mosquito campaign is in Alaska. It takes only two months - June and July. If you'd like to learn more about the distribution of mosquitoes across the United States, Mosquito Magnet® has mosquito seasons across the country at your fingertips.

Meeting place can not be Changed

Speaking about WHEN mosquitoes start biting us, we involuntarily try to analyze WHERE they bite us most often. Do not forget that there are many species of mosquitoes with their own habitat and way of life. In different geographical areas going for a walk at the same time in the evening does not mean the same probability of being bitten. Moreover, the probability of being bitten can vary by ten or more times!

There are areas where mosquitoes are drawn like a magnet, as if there is an incredible Mosquito Magnet trap there! These are wet swampy areas or areas around, salt marshes, abandoned irrigation canals with standing water, etc. Mosquito populations in such places are always larger and the risk of being attacked is certainly higher than in dry areas.

Even if you avoid being outside during peak mosquito activity in the evening or night hours, you may be bitten by a mosquito even during the day near a pond or irrigation canal - simply because there are a lot of mosquitoes here and they consider this territory their inalienable property.

What should you do before and during the mosquito season to stay as safe and sound as possible and protect your loved ones from bites? Here are a few useful tips that will reduce the risk of mosquito bites:

1. Start preparing for your anti-mosquito campaign early. As they say in Russia, prepare a sleigh in the summer and a trap. Many people believe that there is no need to think about mosquitoes until they breed in early summer. This is fundamentally wrong. As soon as the air temperature begins to rise, stock up on repellents and other modern means at hand. Install a Mosquito Magnet® trap in the yard of your house or cottage even before you hear the timid squeak of the first mosquitoes. It is quite possible that with the trap you will not hear this squeak at all throughout the summer!

2. During peak hours, use additional measures control over the number of insects. Morning and evening are the most likely times for mosquito bites. The further south you live, the more likely you are to be attacked by the Asian tiger mosquito, even during the day. If possible, stay home or work open areas skin If you're planning a hike or need to visit an area known to have a lot of mosquitoes, consider changing your plans. For example, visit a place near a river or pond at noon, rather than late in the evening.

3. Don't forget about mosquito nets. A high-quality fine net protects not only from mosquitoes, but also from midges, which in America are not for nothing called invisible due to their extremely small size. Check the integrity of the nets regularly; if you have pets at home, buy special “anti-cat” nets that cannot be torn by claws. This will also help protect the animal from falling out of the window. You can install nets already at an average daily temperature of +4.4°C - mosquitoes can be young or early. If there is a sharp temperature jump outside the window, you will already be protected from uninvited dipteran guests entering the house.

4. Travel during the season when mosquito activity is minimal. True, for those who like to visit the tropics, this advice is not particularly important, since mosquitoes are active there all year round, and the risk of catching a dangerous fever always exists.

5. If you did not listen to the previous advice and went on vacation in the summer, do not forget to get vaccinated against the most dangerous tropical diseases (of course, if there is a clinically proven vaccine for them). There may be a fee for the procedure, but you will avoid the need for much more expensive treatment and rehabilitation. Every year, 2.7 million people worldwide die from diseases carried by mosquitoes - the mosquito is rightfully considered the deadliest creature on our planet. Even in the United States, with its high level of medical care and prevention, thousands of cases of malaria, dengue, and yellow fever are reported every day. They are mainly brought by tourists from overseas travel. In 2015, an Australian tourist made headlines after he managed to contract malaria, dengue and typhus during a trip to Bali. This once again confirmed the results of the study: one mosquito is quite capable of carrying pathogens in its saliva immediately. After the described incident, the Australian authorities even banned their citizens from traveling to tropical countries without having undergone prior vaccination.

Should I stay indoors during peak mosquito activity?

If an outbreak of a mosquito-borne infectious disease has been detected in your region, or if you are afraid of bites due to repeated occurrences, then there is a serious reason for such behavior. If there are no serious medical or epidemiological indications for seclusion, it is probably not necessary to change your lifestyle because of mosquitoes. You can reduce encounters with mosquitoes to a minimum and avoid bites without hiding in four walls behind thick mosquito nets.

If from this material you understand when people are most often and where they can be most often found, you are warned, which means you are armed. Take preventive measures, stock up on repellents based on DET or other proven synthetic or natural products. At dawn and in the evenings, wear closed clothing, including those with special anti-mosquito impregnation.

Another option to control mosquitoes on private property is the use of Mosquito Magnet® mosquito traps. These devices, which start with a stationary trap, are scientifically tested equipment that can reduce the mosquito population over an area of ​​4000 m2 within a month.

Traps are good because they provide long-term protection for your home or cottage without harming the environment. They attract mosquitoes by releasing carbon dioxide, which is obtained from household propane gas. Carbon dioxide, coupled with water vapor and heat, imitates the breathing of a warm-blooded creature, which mosquitoes detect at a distance of several tens of meters. At a short distance, it is included in the attraction process, which imitates the smell human skin. Insects fly to the trap and fall into the fan jet, which sucks them into the net. Most traps have a net that can accommodate up to 10 thousand insects, but the new one can accept up to 20 thousand individuals (that’s about 2 kg). In the net, mosquitoes quickly die from dehydration.

The more female mosquitoes (and only they, by definition, fly to the smell of Octenol and CO 2) are captured by the mosquito killer, the more less eggs they will lay in secluded places in your area. If the reproduction process is disrupted at the very beginning of the mosquito season, when there are still few pests, you have every chance of spending this season without annoying visitors.

The developers of Mosquito Magnet created their brainchild based on 20 years of experience, during which a dozen and a half patents were obtained. New developments are underway in the laboratory. Users were able to buy autonomous traps that run on batteries and are equipped with wheels. The gas cylinder trap can be easily moved to any location summer cottage without having to pull the cord behind you.

The latest development available in Russia is a mosquito exterminator, which is not only independent of power sources and equipped with wheels, but also has a liquid crystal display that reflects the technical parameters of the device and the propane saving function. All traps are extremely easy to install and maintain; consumable components need to be replaced every three weeks.

Quick answer: mosquitoes live up to a year (some species).

There are hardly many people in the world who would have a favorable attitude towards mosquitoes. Why? If only because these insects do not bring any benefit to humans. On the contrary, they are the main carriers of such dangerous diseases as malaria, filariasis, tuleryemia and even HIV! However, doctors say that transmission of HIV infection from a mosquito to a person is almost impossible, although there are rare exceptions.

The development cycle of a mosquito is the same as that of most other insects: egg, larva, pupa, imago (adult). All blood-sucking phases, with the exception of the last, live in water. This could be a pond or lake, or any barrel filled with water. At the same time, insects breathe air all the time, since they do not have the ability to breathe under water. To do this, they place special tubes above the water.

Mosquitoes use the blood of humans, animals, fish, birds, etc. as food. But not everyone knows that only females feed on blood - they need blood in order to bear offspring, because it contains special proteins necessary for the development of eggs. By the way, females can smell a person perfectly even from several hundred meters away. This is facilitated by the presence of lactic acid, which comes out of a person along with sweat, exhaled carbon dioxide, as well as movement or thermal radiation.

As for life expectancy, this is very interest Ask. First of all, it is worth noting that females live much longer than males. Life expectancy depends on temperature environment. Thus, at 10-15°C, a female mosquito can live about 4 months, and at 25°C this period is reduced by about three times (35-40 days). Males rarely live more than 20 days at the same temperature. True, scientists conducted research in the laboratory, and it is not known exactly what the life expectancy of insects in their usual habitat is, but it is believed that if it differs from the indicated results, it is very little.

In addition to the ambient temperature, the lifespan of mosquitoes also depends on the species. For example, pipiens mosquitoes can live up to a year if they hatch in mid-summer. In this case, they almost immediately go to winter, come to their senses in mid-late spring and almost immediately begin to reproduce. They die towards the end of summer.

How long do insects live if they live without blood? Scientists know the answer to this question - the entire mosquito family can die within a few days. Moreover, the female needs constant nutrition, so in just one night she makes up to 10 (!!!) bites. On her way, she may come across both people and animals, among which there may be, for example, rats. The latter can become a source of some fatal disease carried by a mosquito. So it turns out that a bite can be extremely dangerous and sometimes fatal for humans.

But what are we all about females? Let's talk about the males, undeservedly deprived of our attention. In fact, males are no less interesting than females. As we have already mentioned, they do not feed on blood and, accordingly, do not attack humans or animals. It turns out that their favorite food is the nectar of flowers, which they greedily absorb. At the same time, they make exactly the same sound as the females, only it is a little quieter and the females try to attract the attention of the females with their sound.

Are you wondering how long a mosquito lives, why it drinks blood, and why the bite site itches so much? Now we will tell you about it!

Mosquitoes are ubiquitous creatures

There is not a single person on Earth who has never encountered a mosquito. These dipterous insects have been a constant companion of humanity since ancient times. They live everywhere except Antarctica. There are now 3,000 species worldwide. In Russia, 100 are known, but most often people are annoyed by ordinary mosquitoes: biters and squeaks.

Appearance

All mosquitoes have the same body structure, differing mainly in size and color. The body is long, thin, up to 14 mm. The abdomen is narrow, three pairs of thin legs end in a pair of tiny claws. Two transparent wings with which the female creates a characteristic thin squeak in the air.

But the most unusual thing about a mosquito is its structure. oral cavity. Upper and underlip they are elongated into a long tube-proboscis, inside of which there are peculiar needles. It is with them that the female pierces the skin to the capillaries and sucks the blood of the victim. In males, the oral apparatus is not developed.

Do mosquitoes only feed on blood?

The main food of males is the nectar of various flowering plants. Only females feed on blood, and it is they who do not give a person rest, day or night. Besides this, mosquitoes drink the blood of all animals, birds, reptiles and even fish. Moreover, this happens during the breeding season; the rest of the time, the female also needs plant juice.

72 sensitive receptors on the antennae help to sense the smell of sweat from several kilometers away, and the air that a person exhales from several hundred meters away.

The female needs blood nutrients, particularly protein, to produce eggs. Mosquitoes mate in the air, gathering into a huge swarm.

The drunk blood swells the female's abdomen - everyone has seen this process with their own eyes. It is digested for several days, and then light eggs are formed in it.

How mosquitoes reproduce

To lay eggs, mosquitoes need a body of water. Every two to three days, she reproduces from 20 to 300 eggs and releases them onto the surface of the water, growing plants or into moist soil.

The eggs hatch into larvae that look like hairy gray worms. They swim, bending strongly, and after 20 days they turn into a humpback pupa. Both larvae and pupae float to the surface to breathe air.

The larvae of the jerk mosquito are greenish, but more often bright red, and live in the mud at the bottom of the reservoir. This is the same bloodworm that is used as food for aquarium fish.

An adult mosquito emerges from the pupa, dries its wings while sitting on a branch, and takes flight.

Males live only a short time, about 20 days. Females are longer, up to 3 months, but subject to low temperature, about 10-15 degrees.

In the summer they fly everywhere, and in the winter, numb, sedentary mosquitoes are found in warm, damp basements, in the rooms where they live livestock, in entrances, vegetable stores.

IN tropical forests mosquitoes live all year round.

What harm do mosquitoes cause to humans?

During a bite, a mosquito secretes saliva, which prevents blood from clotting in humans. It is from the effects of substances contained in saliva that the bite site turns red and itches. Some people experience allergic reaction.
But the most important disaster from mosquitoes is that they are carriers of a wide variety of infectious diseases. Malaria mosquitoes can infect humans with malaria; other species transmit viral diseases such as fever, or bacterial diseases such as tularemia.

IN summer time years, city dwellers and, especially, summer residents begin to be bothered by annoying mosquitoes. During the rainy season there is simply no escape from them. how long does a mosquito live after biting a person, and is it possible to somehow prevent the reproduction of insects?

Due to the fact that there is a species of malaria mosquitoes, the bite of which can result in death, many studies have been carried out to study their populations. Here's what scientists were able to establish:

• The lifespan of male mosquitoes is twice that of females.
• The possibility of long-term existence is affected climatic conditions– humidity level, temperature.

Mosquitoes are active all year round in countries with warm weather. In winter they sleep and can be found in the cracks of houses, barns and other wooden buildings.

During the experiments, the life expectancy of mosquitoes was recorded:

• at temperatures from + 20 to + 25 C it was 57 days;
• when the thermometer drops to + 10 - + 14 C, an individual individual can exist for up to 119 days;
• in heat from + 25 C, adult males hardly survive up to 20 days.

Amazing facts about mosquitoes

It is noteworthy that there are approximately 3,000 species of mosquitoes on the planet. Their population is distributed in almost all countries, with the exception of Antarctica, which is a territory permafrost. About a hundred of them are typical for different regions Russia.

How long a mosquito lives after biting a person can only be said on average. In laboratory conditions, insects can live a long time due to the provision of optimal temperature regime and nutrition. IN natural environment their existence is associated with the risks of being eaten, for example, by a frog, or being killed by a person immediately after being bitten. In this regard, there is no exact answer to the question of how long a female mosquito lives after biting a person.

It is difficult to imagine an insect as annoying and annoying as a mosquito. The squeak of these bloodsuckers can be heard everywhere. And most importantly, their bites are not only painful and make you itch for a long time, but can also transmit some kind of infection. Mosquitoes are capable of transmitting not only the well-known malaria, but also many other diseases. In addition, a person may develop an individual allergic reaction.

Life cycle of mosquitoes

Few people know how and how long mosquitoes live, and what conditions are most favorable for them. Their life begins with hatching from an egg laid by the female in some stagnant water. The first stage of the life cycle takes place in this body of water. Being a larva (very similar to a small worm), the future mosquito passes through itself up to a liter of water per day. This allows him to collect a variety of tiny pieces food. Some of the types of such larvae are known to a wide range of fishermen, who use them as bait (bloodworms). They breathe through the respiratory tract located in the back, exposing it to the surface of the water.

The next stage of development is the transformation of the larva into a pupa and the hatching from it of an adult capable of flight. Actually, this is how these little “vampires” appear. The lifespan of a mosquito depends on temperature, its gender and the abundance of food. It can vary from two weeks to several months. Females, as usually happens in nature, live longer than males (the latter's life on average is about 20 days). The most favorable temperature for their life starts at +14 degrees.

Life next to a person

There are up to 3 thousand species of mosquitoes around the world. About 100 of them live in our country. It is worth noting that not all varieties bite. And only females hunt for human blood, while males prefer flower nectar, plant leaves and can even taste bread. Females need blood in order to bear and lay eggs.

Mosquitoes produce the unpleasant squeak that irritates everyone through the rapid flapping of their wings: they make up to 600 flapping movements in just one second. The resulting sound is used by males to attract females for mating. A visible swarm of insects, as a rule, consists of harmless males. The life of bloodsuckers is closely connected with humans, although they can also bite animals and fish.

Often, while chasing some of the most annoying mosquitoes with a rolled-up newspaper, you will notice that these dipterans prefer to sit on the ceiling. This is due to the fact that the most accumulated warm air in the room, and insects feel most comfortable in it.

Mosquito bite and how to protect yourself from it

Contrary to the firmly dominant opinion, after a bite the bloodsucker does not die and is quite capable of attacking more than a dozen times. How long mosquitoes live after being bitten is of concern not only to the bitten themselves, who vindictively await their death. This is also important in order to know how to reduce the population of these dipterans in a certain area. The female needs blood to reproduce. She only bites during the mating season. On other days, like males, it feeds on nectar. Having drunk blood, she lays eggs in a pond with stagnant water. Accordingly, draining such ponds and swamps in areas with warm and humid climate can reduce the population size quite significantly.

In addition, for individual mosquito control, you can use both the many products offered modern industry, and ancient methods. Various repellents, chemical substances, repellers, etc. - all of them are able to cope with bloodsuckers. But you can also use folk recipes based on knowledge about nature. Thus, insects cannot tolerate the smell of certain plants (bird cherry, elderberry, geranium, etc.). Their presence in the house can scare away bloodsuckers without any modern innovations.