Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes

Life Cycle and Information on Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes

Oviposition

Oviposition takes place in the afternoon in dark-colored water containing organic material (such as decaying leaves) in dark-colored containers with wide openings. Containers located in the shade are preferred. Females lay their eggs singly on the sides of the container at the water line in batches of 30-50. Egg laying occurs over a period of several days.

Eggs

Exposure to high humidity at the water line for 2-3 days is required for larvae to hatch from their eggs. However, if the eggs dry out before this development period, they will collapse and the embryos will die. If they remain unhatched above the water line, and the level of humidity is sufficient to permit larval-embryo development, eggs become "cured." This means they are resistant to desiccation and can survive for upwards of six or more months. They can also survive short periods of subfreezing weather.

Later, when exposed to water, the eggs will hatch within a day or perhaps even within minutes. The eggs do not all hatch with a single inundation, however. Instead, they hatch in progressively smaller numbers through a succession of inundations.

Larvae

The 4 larval stages (instars) take 5-10 days for development (some texts say 5-7 days).

Pupae

Transformation from the pupal stage to the adult stage generally takes 2-3 days. Under the most favorable climatic and environmental conditions, the entire immature or aquatic cycle (i.e., from egg to adult) can occur in as little as 10 days.

Adults

The life span for adult mosquitoes is between 2 weeks to a month or more.

Flight Range

Their flight range is usually 50-100 meters. Ranges have also been expressed as 100 feet to 100 yards, and 25 to 500 yards. However, new studies are indicating that this mosquito may be capable of flying longer distances - as far as 850 meters or half a mile or so (see P. Reiter et al., "Short Report: Dispersal of Aedes Aegypti in an Urban Area After Blood Feeding as Demonstrated by Rubidium-Marked Eggs," American Journal of Tropical Medicine Hygiene 52 (2):177-179, 1995).