THE EFFECT OF SUGAR MEALS AND BODY SIZE ON FECUNDITY AND LONGEVITY OF FEMALE AEDES-COMMUNIS (DIPTERA, CULICIDAE)

Starved females of Aedes communis (DeGeer) had significantly shorter mean lifespans than females with access to one blood meal and/or sugar meals. For the starving females, lifespan was significantly correlated with wing length. This correlation was not found in sugar- and/or blood-fed females. Fructose and sucrose had similar effects on mosquito lifespan. The 25% and 50% (w/w) solutions of each, increased mean lifespans to 37.8 +/- 7.2 and 34.9 +/- 9.1 days, respectively. A 10% solution, of either sugar, was significantly inferior, mean lifespan 23.2 +/- 10.2 days. The initial sugar meal was very important for female longevity. Subsequent meals aided in ovarian development. One sugar meal, one blood meal, and several sugar meals during oogenesis was found to be the optimal diet for the female mosquitoes in this study.