Is it even possible to answer this question for any species?

From the time a mosquito egg is laid until the adult dies can range from “8 days” to “even years”.

Some species of cicadas live 6 to 7 years in Australia, 13 or 17 years in the USA.

If Mayflies emerge in May then they have to live at least a year, from egg-laying season to egg-laying season. Actually live 2 years.

Cockroach eggs can take from 20 days to 60 days to hatch, then 5 to 6 months to adulthood, and adults life a further 6 to 12 months. Since cockroaches are more prevalent in certain seasons of the year , it makes sense for the total lifespan to be at least 12 months.

Dragonflies live underwater as nymphs for up to two years. And as adults for 7 to 56 days.

Christmas beetles live one to two years as cutworms.

Midges here emerge to bite me on the first hot day of summer. Midge eggs hatch quickly. But the final larval stage can last at least 12 months, and the adult can live for longer than three months. But sometimes two or even three generations occur within one summer, with a lifespan of 6 weeks from laid egg to death.

“After a female lays her eggs, ladybirds will hatch in between three and ten days, depending on ambient temperature. The larva will live and grow for about a month before it enters the pupal stage, which lasts about 15 days. After the pupal stage, the adult ladybird will live up to one year.”

So it looks to me as if two years is fairly normal as a lifespan for insects. Sometimes more. Sometimes (in good seasons) less.

Yes.

Short answer: It Depends

In the case of the Northern Monarch Butterfly
they hatch, become caterpillars, become pupas, emerge as
butterflies, mate, lay eggs and die. Rinse and repeat as necessary.

On the other hand, The last generation to emerge as the cold weather sets in
survives long enough to make the arduous journey from Eastern Canada across the
entire United States (including non-stop across the entire Great Lakes) to Mexico and THEN
over winters in a single grove where the temperature & humidity are uniquely suitable for them to
survive until the following Spring when they indulge in a spectacular orgy before heading North again.

What most people don’t realize is that they don’t fly far before finding milkweed, lay their eggs and die.
…again rinse and repeat as necessary…
the eggs hatch, become caterpillars that become a chrysalis, emerge as butterflies, mate, lay eggs and die.
It actually takes several generations for them to get all the way back to Canada before the last generation of the
year produces individuals capable of making that thousands of mile journey back to their sacred grove in Old Mexico.

So, short answer: It Depends

mollwollfumble said:

Is it even possible to answer this question for any species?

Oh I know this one!

Yes.

I watched some thing on Youtube about casting a bullant nest in molten aluminium to make a cast for the QLD museum. They reckon (the property owner said) t was about 25 years old. Apparently the colony only has one queen, and when she dies the colony is abandonned. So bullant queens can live for 25 years.

party_pants said:

I watched some thing on Youtube about casting a bullant nest in molten aluminium to make a cast for the QLD museum. They reckon (the property owner said) t was about 25 years old. Apparently the colony only has one queen, and when she dies the colony is abandonned. So bullant queens can live for 25 years.

or more?