The Mosquito Book. Brett Ortler

      Some larvae have even more ingenious methods of breathing. Mosquitoes in the Mansonia genus are wholly aquatic. They drill into underwater plants³¹ in order to obtain oxygen.

Pupation: Real-Life Transformers

      Like moths and butterflies, mosquitoes pupate, but mosquitoes pupate in water. There they develop into adults and then somehow manage to emerge from the water’s surface and fly away. The transformation is like something out of science fiction; when they go in, they are worm-like aquatic creatures that get around primarily by wriggling and that eat phytoplankton and one-celled organisms. When they emerge as adults, they are six-legged flies that subsist on an entirely different diet—sugars from plants.

      Pupation periods vary significantly by species and the local conditions—generally, warmer conditions speed things up, but adults usually emerge in a matter of days.

      The pupae of one type of mosquito species are reported to glow in the dark. Found in Brazil, these species glow slightly in a purplish hue³².

Surprise, Adult Mosquitoes Are Vegetarians!

      Once the adult mosquitoes emerge, they have two main jobs: eating and mating. Mating usually happens first and takes place at or near the site of emergence. After mating, the females forage for a blood meal; they do so because the proteins found in animal blood—specifically chains of amino acids—help them³³ to produce more eggs. Without a blood meal, most species can’t produce eggs. There are a few exceptions; such species are called autogenous and can produce eggs without a blood meal³⁴.

      When most female mosquitoes seek out a blood meal, humans often aren’t their preferred species. When given the choice, mosquitoes often prefer livestock, such as sheep³⁶. So why do they pester you at your barbecue? Because we are often the most numerous host in their habitat.

      So what do mosquitoes actually eat? Sugars, usually from nectar or fruits. In the lab, scientists often feed adult mosquitoes a simple mixture of sugar water³⁵, though research mosquitoes have also dined on corn syrup, fruit juices and raisins, among other things.

Mosquito Mating: Music (and Dancing) in the Swarm

      Mosquitoes usually mate in swarms—large collections of males that are frequented by females³⁷. As it turns out, it’s a surprisingly musical affair. The female mosquito’s characteristic buzzing sound is actually music to the male’s ears, and they are attracted to the sound. (In fact, in 1948, researchers armed only with a tuning fork tuned to the female mosquito’s frequency were able to attract male mosquitoes.)

      The males in the swarm are pretty musical as well—as they “dance”³⁸ amid the swarm, and when the male and female approach one another, they harmonize, creating the equivalent of a mosquito love song³⁹!

      The Anopheles mosquitoes don’t mate right away because they have to undergo some . . . changes⁴⁰. In what must be a terrifying process, during the first 12–24 hours of the male’s adulthood, his genital organs are inverted—turning a full 180 degrees. This orients them correctly so mating can occur.

Hibernation/Overwintering

      So how do mosquitoes survive the winter? It depends. Some species overwinter as adults, usually in a well-sheltered area, such as a cave or a culvert. Other species survive in the egg stage or as larvae. Either way, the mosquitoes are raring to go when the weather warms up.

      St. Paul, Minnesota, has many well-known caves. A mosquito researcher happened upon one of these caves, which was being used to grow mushrooms, and discovered millions of hibernating⁴¹adult mosquitoes.