Where do mosquitoes come from

Where mosquitoes come from after the end of winter, in city apartments on the 9th floor and above, where they disappear with the onset of cold weather are the main issues that interest ordinary people. Mosquitoes flocks fly in the forest, park, near the house, in the country, in the city park, even in apartments. But at one point they simply disappear. Below is information on how insects survive the winter, their reproduction rate, and the appearance of larvae.

Optimal conditions for mosquitoes

The temperature at which insects begin to show activity - plus 12 degrees Celsius and above. Mosquitoes don't like heat, drought and cold. The optimum temperature for them is kept within 20 degrees Celsius. With a decrease in climatic parameters, insects develop more slowly, practically stop reproducing. The same thing happens with drought, temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius.

The second important condition for mosquitoes is the presence of a humid environment. Insects in numerous colonies live in the forest, near swamps, near rivers. All because larvae develop in water or moist soil. If this condition is not met, the population is significantly reduced.

Interesting!

More recently, mosquitoes have adapted to live in urban areas. Inhabit basements, damp porches. The female is able to lay eggs without fertilization. For this reason, the generation of urban mosquitoes is slightly weaker than rural.

Vital activities in early spring

Where mosquitoes come from right after winter with severe frosts is a mystery to some people. For specialists, this is nothing special. With the onset of cold weather, fertilized females seek a secluded place for wintering. Climb into the cracks of outbuildings, houses, forest litter, tree bark.

Mosquitoes overwinter in a state of suspended animation, but do not fall into deep hibernation. It is worth bringing an insect into a warm room, as it immediately comes to life. Insects live in winter in moist basements, where the temperature does not drop below +12 degrees Celsius. However, the reproduction activity is not so high. Only females can overwinter.

On a note!

This explains the question of where the insects came from in early spring. With the onset of warm days, females go outside, find a water source, lay eggs. To start the process, mosquitoes drink blood. Animals, people, less often birds become victims.

Breeding

Life span of mosquitoes depends not only on environmental conditions, but also on the sex of the individual. A female, under favorable conditions for her, is able to live 56 days. The young generation of mosquitoes is born after about 21 days. Initially, males come out, fly on grass near the place where they lived by larvae, wait for females.

The active process of reproduction of insects begins in late April, in May. Insects gather in packs, fertilization occurs on the fly. Young females attract individuals of the opposite sex special squeak.

Within 10 days after fertilization, the males die, the females look for a victim to drink blood. This food source is necessary for the egg formation process to begin.

Interesting!

About 150 pieces are formed at a time, so the female is extremely bloodthirsty.At one time, he drinks 2 times more blood than he weighs - 5.5 ml.

Satisfying the nutritional needs, the insect is looking for a place to lay eggs. This should be a pond with standing water or a basement with a water supply. Less commonly, a mosquito lays eggs in moist soil.

Inside the female, the young generation develops for about 3 days. It lays future larvae in groups or one at a time. Upon completion of this stage, the insect again seeks prey for the implementation of the second process.

Larval development

The rate of development of the young generation of mosquitoes depends on the temperature of the water. The optimal indicator is 15-20 degrees Celsius. The duration of larval development in an egg is from 40 hours to 8 days. They are born in the size of no more than 2 mm. The body of the larva consists of a head, chest, abdomen. The future mosquito feeds on microorganisms in the water.

On a note!

The presence of pests can be determined by dark spots on the surface of the water. It is worth creating a wave, as they quickly hide under water. After a while, they will pop up again. Not everyone succeeds in surviving, maggots, like adults eat mosquitoes fish, frogs, some bugs.

Over the entire period of development, the larvae molt 4 times, constantly increasing in size. The cycle from egg formation to the appearance of imago lasts about 60 days. At the last stage of development, the larva turns into a chrysalis, in shape resembles a comma.

In the pupal stage, the mosquito develops from 2 to 5 days. During this time, serious transformations take place inside. The pupa is extremely active, can go deep into the water, but occasionally pops up to replenish oxygen reserves.

Upon completion of development, the mosquito breaks through the upper part, protrudes its head, then the chest. The last limbs are shown. The body size of a regular mosquito is 4 mm. The insect is immediately ready for fertilization, so it proceeds to an active search for a sexual partner.

Vital activity of mosquitoes

The main task of males is to enable females to lay eggs. They live a short life - 10 days, eat plant nectar, spend most of their time in a meadow, in a forest. The main parasite is the female.

Virgin individuals also feed on nectar, but immediately after fertilization, there is a need for blood. In search of a victim, a mosquito can fly up to 300 km. It develops a speed of 3 km per hour. The insect will determine the location of the victim for 30 m.

Attracts mosquitoes natural smell - carbon dioxide during exhalation, sweat, microorganisms on the skin. It gives out the victim and the heat emanating from the body, because the mosquito has infrared vision. In one night, the female can bite up to 15 times.

Interesting!

In urban areas, pests make their way into apartments through cracks, open windows, and often populate basements and porches. In most cases, the inhabitants of the first three floors suffer, but with the flow of wind insects can rise to the very top - up to 20 floors. However, the controversy how high mosquitoes flyare ongoing.

The average life span of a female is 3 weeks; theoretically, she can live about 119 days. There are many enemies in nature - dragonflies, frogs, newts, lizards, chameleons, beetles. And also a man with chemical weapons, different mosquito control.