I am sure like other people you also assume that mosquito need blood in a similar way human need food to survive. So the next question that pop up in your mind is “how much time a mosquito can survive without blood?” Let me clear your this confusion and explain this relation of mosquito and blood more precisely.
Mosquitoes Don’t Actually Need Blood to Live
Sugar and plant nectar is main energy source for mosquitoes. I know this is surprising that mosquito can live for a very long time without blood because blood is not their main source of energy.
Informative Point: Remember that only female mosquito bites humans and use blood as a source of nutrient and protein for development of the eggs. Whereas male mosquito do not bite human and entirely depend on plant fluid for survival. This clearly shows that a mosquito can live without blood.
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How Long Can a Female Mosquito Live Without Blood?
Humidity, food availability, temperature, and other environmental conditions are the main factors which is necessary for mosquito survival.
This Fact is Also Proved By a Laboratory Research 2020
During this experiment a Aedes aegypti was only feed on sugar and limit its exposure to blood. While other group of female mosquito was exposed sugar along blood.
At the end the mosquitoes that had access to only sugar live more than those which are also consuming blood. The average was 30-40 percent longer live time than other flies that are receiving blood.
Result of the Study: This experiment proves that a female mosquito can live without blood for a very long time.
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What Happens If a Mosquito Never Gets Blood?
Female mosquitoes use blood for their eggs development, if the blood supply restricts their reproduction get stop. This fact is proved by research that to produce normal eggs a mosquito require sufficient amount of blood. These mosquito live a normal life and die without going through reproduction.
Do Mosquitoes Die Early Than Their Usual Life If Their Access To Blood Is Restricted?
Normally a male mosquito live 2 weeks, and female have longer life span of 4 to 6 weeks. Female mosquito almost live for similar time span even if they are not exposed to blood.
Research Based Evidence:
A experiment was conducted in which a female mosquito kept under controlled conditions live up to 2 months without blood access. This research was published in Experimental Gerontology.
Result of the Study:
This research proves that blood is only require to trigger new egg laying cycle and there is no link of blood with extending the life of mosquito.
Bottom Line:
To sum up this discussion I will say that mosquito can survive without your blood so only personal protection can not save you from mosquito. You also have to drain out standing water and use pesticides on your garden flowers.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do mosquitoes need blood to survive? | No |
| What is blood actually for? | Egg development |
| Do male mosquitoes bite? | Never |
| How long can a female live without blood? | Two weeks to a month |
| How long without any food at all? | A few days only |
| Can mosquitoes survive winter without blood? | Yes |
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