Thefemale mosquitois the one that bites (males feed on flower nectar). She requires blood to produce eggs. Her mouthparts are constructed so that they pierce the skin, literally sucking the blood out.

The female mosquitoes ofCulexand most other species lay their eggs in batches of 50 to 100, often in tiny clumps about a quarter-inch long that float together on the surface of the water like a raft. They make those deposits on water that's collected in tree holes, ditches, even your dog's water dish.

However, some species will lay mosquito eggs on moist, often-flooded soil in anticipation of the next rise in water. Those eggs can survive winter, waiting for spring or summer rains to cover them over.

Females usually deposit their eggs at night, and can lay them about every third night, up to three times.

Entomologists at Oklahoma State University report that the eggs are white when first deposited, then darken to near black within a day. They will hatch in one to three days, depending on the temperature. Eggs left on moist soil can last for up to a year, until the ground is flooded again, before hatching.

Mosquitoes of the genusCulexlay hundreds of eggs connected together to form a raft which floats on the surface of still water in a place like a pond, swimming pool, ditch, discarded tire or even a sewage cesspool. When the eggs hatch about a day later, the larvae wriggle free from the bottom of the eggs, swimming directly down into the water. They look like strange alien creatures.

egg laying female mosquito is anopheles.

egg laying female mosquito is anopheles.