Overwintering takes place as adults in protected areas of buildings, caves, etc., or in the larval form, depending on the species. Many of the species in this group do not venture far from their breeding sites. We have approximately 50 species of mosquitoes in Missouri. Among these, the life span ranges from less than a week to several months. She does so in order to obtain the blood meal she requires to lay viable eggs.
All mosquitoes begin life as eggs.
Under proper conditions, the egg hatches in two or three days into a larva, which is aquatic, but must breathe air. The larval stage lasts from four to ten days, depending on species and air temperature. After the larval stage, it becomes a pupa, and the pupal stage lasts another day or two. After this, a winged adult emerges. Mosquitoes can breed in very small areas of water, including tin cans, old tires, drain troughs, household trash, rain pools and puddles where water can be expected to last for 10 days or longer.