How Mosquito Biology Affects Pest Treatment Around Your Home

Killing or repelling mosquitoes is more than just a swat or a spray away. Through spring, summer, and fall, these pests represent an ever-present nuisance.

 

This irritation is one thing when you’re out on a camping trip. Out in the wilderness, it’s hard to blame mosquitoes for frequenting their common stomping grounds:

• • Streams and rivers

• • Ponds and marshes

• • Damp, swampy areas

However, dealing with mosquitoes every day in your own yard is another thing altogether. Itchy bug bites are reason enough to want a mosquito-free yard, but there’s also the worry of mosquito-borne illnesses for you, your family, and your pets.

Many households who want to clear out mosquitoes invest in a number of solutions from DIY, store-bought, and professional services. However, many don’t consider a single vital detail in their elimination strategy: basic mosquito biology.

 

Mosquitoes’ Life-cycles Make for Population Booms

 

 

Here are just a couple of basic facts about mosquitoes:

• • There are around 200 species of mosquito in the USA

• • They range in size between 0.15 and 0.4 inches

• • Their mating swarms average around 85 males but can include thousands of individuals

Each species of mosquito has its own differences, but the common mosquitoes in the United States have a reliable average mating cycle:

• • A mosquito hatches and becomes an adult in 8-10 days.

• • With access to blood to produce eggs and males to breed with, females can lay up to 100 eggs at a time.

This introduces one of the greatest hurdles we face when eliminating mosquitoes from our homes: one session never sticks. You may find relief for 2-3 weeks after a treatment, but the mosquito population rebuilds quickly.

 

Mosquito Eggs Have a Long-lasting Expiration Date

 

Mosquitoes and their eggs

 

Many regions of the United States go unbothered by mosquitoes for the winter months. Snow and dry, cold weather are not conducive to small insects.

However, come spring, mosquitoes will be right back. This is due to the extremely hardy nature of mosquito eggs. Mosquitoes need wet climates, but eggs can survive drying out for up to 8 months. They can even last through the winter on top of or under frozen water—waiting for the thaw to provide that wet environment they thrive in.

 

If your mosquito elimination solution misses these eggs, they only need one inch of standing water to hatch.

 

What Attracts Mosquitoes?

 

Mosquito sucking nectar from flowers

 

Mosquitoes can travel anywhere up to a 300-foot radius of their breeding pools to 7 miles from where they hatch. This travel is based on mosquitoes’ keen senses.

To feed, mosquitoes seek out nectar from flowers. When seeking blood for their eggs, female mosquitoes need to look for signs of life. These signs include:

• • The carbon dioxide we breathe out

• • The lactic acid we sweat

• • Body heat

Masking these signals (through bug sprays or smoke) has been a surefire strategy to repel mosquitoes for decades.

 

 

Leverage Mosquito Biology to Beat Them

 

Now that you know some mosquito basics, you can conjure a more effective management strategy. (Remember, it’s all about working smarter rather than harder!)

 

Elimination Strategies

 

Consider steps that:

• • Revolve around the typical life cycle of mosquitoes

• • Tackle eggs, spawning, and swarms alike

• • Eliminate immediate threats and mask from future invaders

Whatever elimination strategy you decide on, you want to make sure it addresses each of these areas.

• • If you use DIY options, refresh them biweekly and use them around key, watery places that may cultivate mosquitoes. (And, better yet, eliminate these watery spots if you can!)

• • If you use insecticides, be sure you know where best to spray or where NOT to spray.

 

Learn How Mosquito Shield’s Solution Takes it All Into Account

 

Mosquito Shield – mosquito control professional

 

Our mosquito control professionals at Mosquito Shield are built on the behaviors and biology of mosquitoes. We understand they flock to wet and damp areas like pools or under decks.

We know how pesky their eggs can be and where to find them.

Most importantly, we know how frequently mosquitoes breed—and it’s the number one detail that informs our elimination strategy.

Our goal is to provide you with a regular service that only requires a brief session every 10-17 days. When you give us a call, we can have your first appointment set up within 5 days of your consultation.

From there, we visit your yard to identify mosquito hotspots and locations where the mosquito treatment will work best. Our technicians spray down your yard with our Mosquito and Tick Proprietary Blend, focusing on key areas that may be breeding grounds.

With the right team and treatment plan, you can enjoy your outside space for the entire duration of the mosquito season. Florida’s sunny climate calls for a different timeline than, say, Minnesota! If you are interested in beginning a tailored treatment plan for your home, get a free quote today.