Mosquitoes have 4 stages: Egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The first three stages occur in water, but the adult is an active flying insect. Mosquitoes can grow from egg to adult from 5-7 days in Southern California.

Only the female mosquito bites and feeds on the blood of humans or other animals. Male mosquitoes do not bite.

All mosquitoes need non-moving, trapped water with high levels of bacteria and algae (stagnant water) to complete their life cycle.

After a female mosquito takes a blood meal (bites), she will look for stagnant water to lay her eggs. Mosquitoes can lay their eggs in containers as small as a bottle cap!