Mosquitoes of different species lay their eggs in a variety of water sources that range from small containers to vast expanses of marshland. The larval stage is always aquatic and shuttles from the subsurface where it filter feeds on micro-organisms to the surface to obtain oxygen through a snorkel-like breathing apparatus. The pupal stage does not feed but unlike most Insect pupae is extremely active. The adult emerges from the pupal case using air pressure and assume a terrestrial existence.

Mosquitoes undergo complete metamorphosis; they go through four distinct stages of development during a lifetime. The four stages are egg, pupa, larva, and adult. The full life-cycle of a mosquito takes about a month.

Eggs: After drinking blood, adult females lay a raft of 40 to 400 tiny white eggs in standing water or very slow-moving water.

Larvae: Within a week, the eggs hatch into larvae (sometimes called wrigglers) that breathe air through tubes which they poke above the surface of the water. Larvae eat bits of floating organic matter and each other. Larvae molt four times as they grow; after the fourth molt, they are called pupae.

Pupae: Pupae (also called tumblers) also live near the surface of the water, breathing through two horn-like tubes (called siphons) on their back. Pupae do not eat.

Adult: An adult emerges from a pupa when the skin splits after a few days. The adult lives for only a few weeks.