Swarming and Mating in \u3ci\u3eAedes Provocans\u3c/i\u3e (Diptera: Culicidae)

Male Aedes provocans formed canopy-level linear swarms in association with prominent trees along hedgerows or convex prominences along woodlot margins. Males oriented along the east-west or north-south axis of the swarm site and flew continuously in alternating directions along the longitudinal axis of the swarm. Swarming began shortly before (mean=-0.78 crep) and ended after sunset (mean=0.81 crep). The time of onset of swarming was more variable than the time of cessation; on 3 of 5 occasions, swarming stopped abruptly at 0.94 crep, about 2 minutes before the end of civil twilight. Swarming began 4 d after the onset of emergence of the adults and persisted for 3 weeks, but copulations were observed for only the first 6 d. In-flight mating always took place after sunset, many minutes after the onset of swarming. On average, copulation lasted 9.9 s