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    The four wonderfully weird (and gross) stages of the mosquito life cycle

    The four wonderfully weird (and gross) stages of the mosquito life cycle

    Mosquitos! They can be little pests, but they’ve caused lots of scientific breakthroughs! But how do mosquitoes come to be? Let’s find out!

    All mosquitoes have four basic cycles- egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The life cycle typically takes up to two weeks, but depending on different conditions, can range from four days up to a month. Imagine growing up that quickly! The first three cycles are spent in the water, while the adults actively fly. 

    Only the females bite and suck blood from people. Rude! But why do they do that?

    It’s so she can get protein and develop her eggs! After obtaining blood, the mosquito rests to digest it. When she’s ready to lay her eggs, she finds stagnant water and lays them.

    The hatching time can vary from one mosquito species to another, but once hatched, larva emerges, also called a “wiggler.”

    The larva lives in the water. Not like a fish, though! It feeds and develops into a pupa, or “tumbler.” Once in this stage, the pupa still remains in water but doesn’t feed.

    Over the course of two days to a week, a mosquito emerges from the pupal stage. It flies away, ready to start the cycle again! Good luck little Mosquito!

    Learn more about Mosquitoes and how they contributed to finding a cure to Malaria in Darcy Pattison’s upcoming book: Fever!

    COMING ON MARCH 8!

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    Article by Darcy Pattison

    Children’s book author and indie publisher DARCY PATTISON writes award-winning fiction and non-fiction books for children. Five books have received starred PW, Kirkus, or BCCB reviews. Awards include the Irma Black Honor award, five NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books, two Eureka! Nonfiction Honor book, two Junior Library Guild selections, two NCTE Notable Children’s Book in Language Arts, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book, an Arkansiana Award, and the Susannah DeBlack Arkansas Children’s History Book
    award. She’s the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor’s Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children’s literature. Her books have been translated into ten languages.

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