Carbohydrate feeding increases male mosquito fitness through multiple mechanisms

In the life of a male mosquito, the only true measure of success is fecundity; sugar feeding is one way for a male to maximize this. Frequent carbohydrate feeding results in increased mating success in male mosquitoes. The fitness of male Aedes albopictus (Skuse) given sucrose or water access for 0, 24, 48, or 72 hrs was evaluated by comparing longevity, number of inseminated females, and the volume of sperm transferred. Increased longevity was shown for each additional day of sucrose access. Following sucrose or water exposure, males were given access to new virgin females every 24 hrs; these were dissected to determine the number of females inseminated and the number of spermatheca containing sperm. Comparing males of the same age, sucrose-fed individuals attained greater mating success than water-fed individuals in the 24, 48, and 72 hr treatments. Sucrose-fed males in the 48 and 72 hr treatments also exhibited an increased volume of sperm transferred at 3-5 and 5-6 days post-emergence respectively. This study confirms that carbohydrate feeding not only increases the longevity of male mosquitoes, but also improves mating success and increases sperm volume; further, it demonstrates that adult males have the ability to store energy when females are scarce and sugar sources are readily available.