Mosquitoes are insects of the Diptera family. There are more than 3000 species of mosquitoes in the world, while only a small part of them, namely 100 species, live in Russia.
The life cycle of a mosquito consists of four stages: egg - larva - pupa - adult.
Perhaps, everyone at least once in his life wondered how long mosquitoes live, why they drink blood.
The appearance of mosquitoes
As mentioned above, there are more than 3000 species of mosquitoes, but they all have the same body structure, and differ only in size and color. The body of a mosquito can reach 14 mm in length, the number of limbs in this insect is six, and each of them has a tiny claw at the end. The wings of mosquitoes are transparent, with the help of them, the females are able to create a sound resembling a squeak in the air. The structure of the oral cavity has its own characteristics: the lips have the shape of a proboscis, inside which there are needles.
What do mosquitoes eat?
Males feed on nectar, while females feed exclusively on blood. It is worth noting that females drink blood from both animals and birds, and even reptiles.
After the blood has been digested (and this lasts from two to four days), transparent eggs appear in the abdomen of the mosquito.
Reproduction
The female lays eggs exclusively in water or in moist soil. Larvae hatch from the eggs in the future, they, in turn, turn into pupae after 18-20 days, but adults already emerge from the pupae, which, having dried their wings, go flying.
How long do mosquitoes live
Males live for about 20 days, while females live much longer - up to three months, however, provided that the average humidity and temperature does not exceed 15 degrees Celsius.
