Aedes aegypti is the mosquito transmitting dengue, Zika, Chikungunya and yellow fever and its life cycle is divided into 4 phases: egg, larva, chrysalis and mosquito developed. The cycle begins when an adult female lays her eggs on the walls of tanks with clean and calm water and usually after 7 days, the larva becomes a pupa and, 2 days later, the mosquito is fully formed and ready to bite.
Mosquito eggs are very resistant and survive even 1 year in a dry place and when this place receives clean water, in about half an hour of immersion, this egg can grow. This mosquito takes an average of 10 days to develop and lives 30 days. A single female produces 60 to 120 eggs in each reproductive cycle and can have more than 3 cycles during its lifetime.
- The Aedes aegypti mosquito needs water and soil to survive if its aquatic life cycle includes eggs.
- Larvae and pupae.
- And in the terrestrial phase.
- The mosquito that.
- When it bites humans.
- Can transmit dengue.
The 4 stages of mosquito life are
The female of Aedes lays her eggs in standing water or on the edge of a place that may eventually get wet. They prefer to lay their eggs in containers that can accumulate water, but just above the waterline, such as on the edges of buckets, ponds, trash cans, untreated chlorine pools, an open water box, bromeliads and dishes. plants, for example.
Sometimes, the female lays her eggs in the water, but often prefers to lay eggs near the waterline to ensure the growth of new mosquitoes months later, ensuring the development and survival of her offspring. This is where the mosquito is most resistant and the only way to eliminate it is by washing the area with soap and water, rubbing the place with a small bottle. To make sure the egg is destroyed, you can add some chlorine to the water while cleaning the container.
Upon contact with water, the egg becomes larvae in just 2 or 3 days and these larvae are quite active and move in the water, being easily recognizable. Although the mosquito prefers clean water to reproduce, it can grow even in dirty water and domestic wastewater and feeds on protozoa, bacteria and fungi present in this water. During this phase, the larva consists of 4 stages of its development, where it increases in size.
In about 7 to 10 days, the larva becomes chrysalis and takes a coma form and this stage is shorter and lasts only 2 days, until the mosquito is ready to be “born”. They don’t eat at this stage, they breathe and they move a lot.
The chrysalis becomes a mosquito and comes out of its “cocoon” and is ready to fly and must be fed. Mosquitoes usually feed on fruits and juices from certain vegetables, but after copulation, the female needs blood to mature her eggs. After feeding on blood in 3 days, he lays his eggs. The half-life of an adult mosquito is 30 days and during this period each female can lay about 3000 eggs.
These 4 phases can last 5 to 10 days and the higher the ambient temperature, the faster the mosquito grows and is ready to bite. Mosquito bites can occur at any time of the day, however, the mosquito avoids strong, outdoor sun, prefers shade, but usually bites in the morning or late afternoon and evening between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. and between 4 p.m. 7 p.m.
The reproduction of the dengue mosquito is performed by copulation between the male and the female. Mating can occur during flight or on a flat surface. Then, for the maturation of her eggs, the female needs human or animal blood that provides the necessary nutrients for the development of the eggs.
The female lays her eggs little by little, stacking them in different places. It has already been observed that a female can lay only 1 or 2 eggs in one place, depositing the others in several other places, at a distance of more than 1 km. This indicates that when the female cannot find a suitable place to lay her eggs, she can fly long distances in search of the ideal environment, spreading the disease.
There are several ways to control the mosquito and anyone can help in this fight by taking certain measures such as:
With simple measures like these, it is possible to interrupt the life cycle of the Aedes avoiding all the diseases it can cause.
Aedes aegypti is native to North Africa and arrived in America during colonization and is present in several tropical countries, being very common in Brazil, especially in summer when temperatures are higher and there are periods of rains and tropical storms that cause flooding of streets and easy water circulation, facilitating its reproductive cycle.
Dengue is a arbovirus, as is Zika, Chikungunya and yellow fever because it is transmitted by the bite of an insect, in this case the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Until 2000 in Brazil, there were only types of dengue 1 and 2, but in 2001 type 3 appeared and in 2010 type 4 was found in Roraima. Learn more about dengue types in Brazil.