Patterns of sugar feeding in diapausing and nondiapausing Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae) females.

In the laboratory, diapausing Culex pipiens L. females fed on a continuously available sugar source more frequently and longer after adult emergence than did non-diapausing females. They also showed an extended nocturnal pattern of sugar feeding compared with that of non-diapausing females. Differences between diapausing and non-diapausing females with respect to sugar feeding and host-seeking behavior also were related to responses to volatiles from fruit and vertebrate hosts. In this Colorado strain of Cx. pipiens, increased sugar feeding by diapausing females during the first few weeks of adult life may be an adaptation that enhances overwintering survival.