University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Champaign, Illinois, United States
Abstract: Diapause preparation in Culex pipiens is marked by a shift from host-seeking to nectar gluttony to build lipid reserves. An open question is how female mosquitoes resolve the trade-off between the time needed for resource acquisition and the length of the overwintering period. To assess this, a simulated overwintering study was conducted on Cx. pipiens females reared under variable temperatures and offered sugar for variable periods. Survival and energetic reserves were assessed.
