One mating provides enough sperm to last the insect's lifetime. Dependent on temperature, the first batch of eggs may take 24-48 hours longer to mature than subsequent batches and may require more than one blood meal. In some species males form a swarm and the females fly into the swarm where they couple with a male. In some species mating takes place on the host vertebrate shortly after the female takes a blood meal. Feeding Both male and female mosquitoes rely on plant nectar and plant juices to supply the carbohydrates needed to provide the energy required for flight and other activities.
Female mosquitoes require a blood meal to provide the protein needed to mature their eggs.
A number of species can produce a limited number of eggs without taking a blood meal, relying on the food reserves from the larval stage to provide the protein required for egg development. There are several stages in the feeding behaviour of mosquitoes - activation, orientation, landing and probing. The time of activation is set by the insects biological clock but will be modified by climatic influences eg. if it is too windy, too cold or if the humidity is too low. A number of authors list the range of attraction to be approximately 20 metres with a visual range of 7 metres or less. The final stages of landing and feeding require the visual cues of colour and shape as well as the odour plumes.