At a glance
- Adult female Culex mosquitoes lay eggs on the surface of fresh or stagnant water.
- Larvae hatch from mosquito eggs and live in water.
- Larvae develop into pupae.
- Pupae develop into adult, flying mosquitoes.
- Adult female mosquitoes bite people and animals. Mosquitoes need blood to produce eggs.
Culex species mosquitoes
Culex pipiens, Cx. quinquefasciatus, and Cx. tarsalis mosquitoes live in the United States. A Culex mosquito egg takes 7–10 days to develop into an adult mosquito.
Life stages
Eggs
- Adult female Culex mosquitoes lay eggs on the surface of fresh or stagnant water. Water sources can include barrels, horse troughs, ornamental ponds, unmaintained swimming pools, puddles, creeks, ditches, and marshy areas.
- A female Culex mosquito lays eggs one at a time. Eggs stick together to form a raft of 100 to 300 eggs. The raft floats on the water.
Larva
- Culex larvae hatch from mosquito eggs and live in water.
- Larvae can be seen in the water. They are very active and are often called "wigglers."
- They feed on a variety of things found in the water.
- Larvae shed their skin (molt) several times during this stage.
Pupa
- Culex pupae live in water. Pupae do not have external mouthparts and do not feed during this stage.
- An adult mosquito emerges from a pupa and flies away.
Adult
- Adult female Culex mosquitoes bite people and animals. Mosquitoes need blood to produce eggs.
- After blood feeding, female mosquitoes look for water sources to lay eggs. Several days pass between feeding and looking for a place to lay eggs.
- Culex mosquitoes don’t fly long distances but have been known to fly up to 2 miles (3.2 km).
- Some Culex mosquitoes prefer to live near and bite birds. They bite people when other animals are not nearby.
- Because Culex bite animals and people, they live outdoors or near homes.
