Everything To Know About Mosquito Eggs In Water

Mosquito eggs in water

Mosquito Life Cycle

Mosquitoes have a complex life cycle that they manage to go through quickly, from some mere eggs in water to maturing into adults within one or two weeks. The length of the life cycle of a mosquito usually varies from species to species and also relies upon the weather conditions of the area in which they are maturing.

The life cycle of all the mosquitoes comprises four stages, that is – Eggs, Larva, Pupal, and finally, the adult stage.

The Adult mosquito then breeds and lays on new eggs after surviving for weeks to several months.

Mosquito Eggs

The life cycle of all the mosquitoes begins as Eggs that are laid either in the water or near the water depending upon the species of mosquito.

The less than a millimeter long, tiny mosquito eggs are white in the beginning but eventually get dark black, brown, or reddish-brown.

Mosquitoes, though, live on land but lay their eggs in water, which then hatch into larvae, also known as wrigglers that too live in water for a while before emerging into the adult mosquitoes.

Mosquito Eggs In Water

Mosquitoes develop certain ways of laying their eggs in or around the water so that they can grow into healthy mature adults quickly. Different species follow different ways of laying eggs in water. Some of the species lay the eggs in groups while others lay the eggs individually.

Here are the three ways in which Mosquitoes lay their eggs in water:

  • Rafts
  • Floats
  • Waiting for the water

Rafts

Female Culex Mosquito lay hundreds of Eggs but one at a time. These Eggs then stick together and form a Raft like structure. The Raft contains 100 to 300 Eggs, which floats on the still water on the surfaces like swimming pool, barrels, puddles, ponds, and sewage cesspool.

The female mosquito, before laying the eggs, taste the water from the surface to make sure that the place is fit for her larvae. Also, it is believed that they lay eggs at the places where other rafts have already survived successfully.

Once the female mosquito finds a good place for her eggs, she lay them, and about a day later, the Eggs hatch; the larvae then wriggles free from the bottom of the eggs directly into the water.

The Rafts are very small and inconspicuous and are usually laid by the female mosquito at night.

Floats

The Anopheles Mosquitoes lay about fifty to hundred or more eggs at once, but unlike the genus Culex, they lay their Eggs separately rather than in the groups that are glued together. Though eggs can drift together sometimes, they do not form a Raft.

The female Anopheles mosquitoes also lay their eggs in a suitable place like the Mosquitoes of genus Culex.

The Eggs have a float attached to them formed with exochorion, which is the outer layer of the egg, on either side due to which the Eggs rest on the water surface looking like tiny boats. The eggs can only be seen by a magnifying glass.

The floating Eggs then hatch after two or three days, and the wriggling larvae are dropped down into the water.

Waiting For The Water

The Aedes Mosquitoes can lay Eggs three to five times in their entire lifetime and can lay about a hundred eggs each time.

The female Aedes mosquito-spread its Eggs at several sites instead of laying the cluster in one place only.

The place to lay the Eggs have to be carefully determined by this genus of mosquitoes as they usually lay their eggs on the soil where the Eggs waits like seeds until the spring rain washes them.

The Eggs are laid at damp surfaces that are exposed to temporary floods. Under dry conditions, the Eggs can lie dormant for about nine months and can hatch only after coming into the exposure to favorable conditions and wet weather.

The type and moisture of the soil and the plants nearby affects the decision of laying the Eggs as any unfavorable circumstance will come in the way of hatching of the Eggs. The female Aedes mosquito usually lay the eggs at the places where other mosquitoes have already laid their eggs.

 These are the three ways in which mosquito lay their eggs in water, which then later forms the larvae.

But mosquitoes in the water are home for diseases, and there are certain ways in which we can remove mosquito Eggs from water.

How To Remove Mosquito Eggs From Water

There are some ways to remove the mosquito Eggs or larvae from the water. These are as follow:

  • Soap / Bleach

Putting some dish soap, shampoo, or household bleach in the standing water can helps in killing most of the mosquito eggs or larvae in a day.

  • Oil

A thick layer of olive oil or any other vegetable oil in a gallon of standing water will suffocate the mosquito eggs, and the eggs can then be removed from the water.

  • Apple Cider Vinegar

The concentration of 15 percent apple cider vinegar in 85 percent of water will effectively remove the mosquito eggs or larvae from the water within 18 hours.

  • Removal of water

The best way to remove the mosquito eggs from water is by removing the water. Do not let standing water prevail near your houses or areas nearby. The lesser the water concentrated lesser will be the chances of mosquito eggs growing in it.

Final words

It is important to understand the complete lifecycle of mosquitoes and how exactly they lay eggs in water. Once you have a clear understanding of how the procedure of laying eggs takes place, you will be able to adopt suitable measures to remove mosquito eggs from water.