Category Archives: Outdoor Fun

The best part of indulging in BBQ lies in that first succulent bite of fall-off-the-bone ribs, leaving you licking your fingers and wearing sauce all over your face. Backyard barbecues are a cherished tradition where good food and good company gather together. From hot dogs and wings to some of the best BBQ side dishes like pasta salad and collard greens, BBQ gatherings are a feast for the senses.

As grills sizzle this summer, we wanted to discover the most iconic BBQ dishes in every U.S. state. Prepare to tantalize your taste buds as we unveil the culinary delights that define BBQ culture across the nation.

The Most Popular BBQ Dishes in Every U.S. State

As spring rolls into summer, BBQ enthusiasts across the United States are firing up their smokers and getting ready for unforgettable BBQ cookouts. In six states, including Hawaii, New Jersey, Maryland, and Rhode Island, BBQ chicken has claimed the spotlight and captured the taste buds of many.

Meanwhile, Idaho and New Hampshire have developed a deep affection for pulled pork as their ultimate BBQ delight, while wings have soared to prominence in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Brisket has become a beloved favorite among residents of Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas, while West Virginia has maintained a long-standing devotion to the classic hot dog.

In a predictable turn of events, collard greens have asserted their dominance in southern states such as Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, while the timeless baked potato has garnered significant adoration in Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

The best BBQ side dishes according to other states included coleslaw, which won out in Maine, and biscuits which dominated in Kentucky.

When it comes to BBQ sauces, a sweet and tangy concoction like honey BBQ has triumphed in six states, including Utah, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

Turning our attention to dessert, banana pudding has captured the hearts and palates of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee, while both D.C. and Florida have gravitated toward key lime pie.

America’s Backyard BBQ Plate

As you prepare to host a memorable gathering, impress your guests with the best BBQ essentials that have conquered the hearts and taste buds across the map. Get ready to elevate your backyard BBQ game and leave your guests craving for more.

Burgers were a clear crowd favorite and most beloved in 17 states, including Washington, New Mexico, Tennessee, and North Carolina, just to name a few. Coming in a close second is sausage, which delighted the taste buds of ten states, including Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and Indiana.

Let’s talk about the sauce — because no one likes dry brisket. We examined different types of BBQ sauces to see which one was a fan favorite. Our findings reveal that buffalo sauce, featuring a tantalizing blend of cayenne pepper for a touch of tangy heat, emerged as the top choice in 16 states. From Alaska and Florida to New Jersey and North Dakota, the craving for this zesty sauce knows no bounds.

Surprisingly, in the second spot, we have St. Louis-style BBQ sauce, which failed to win over its home state of Missouri. Instead, it conquered in ten states, including Arkansas, Iowa, and Maine.

No picnic is complete without side dishes for your guests to gobble up — and we’re not talking about mojitos (okay, maybe we are)! Both french fries and watermelon were crowd favorites, dominating 19 and seven states, respectively. French fries captured the west coast in places like California, Arizona, and Nevada.

While you may be tempted to grab store-bought cookies and call it a day, there’s no better way to end a picnic than with fresh-out-of-the-oven brownies. Brownies are the best dessert according to 19 states and a classic, sweet treat everyone can agree on!

BBQ Essentials According to Every U.S. State

Curious if your taste buds align with your state? Review our map to see how your state builds the perfect backyard spread.

Closing Thoughts

There you have it — the best BBQ in every U.S. state! From cheesecake to grilled lobster and baked mac n’ cheese, it’s clear that no matter where you live, BBQ food has a way of bringing people together.

Now picture this: the smell of burgers wafts through the air, bowls of chips are laid out, lemonade is being poured, and your guests are arriving, there’s just one tiny problem — your backyard is inhabited by mosquitoes. Don’t fret! To prevent this potential disaster from occurring, make sure you schedule Mosquito Joe event services so you can get back to enjoying good food and even better company.

Methodology

To find out which BBQ dish was the most “essential” in each state, we compiled a list of typical BBQ meats, side dishes, desserts, and BBQ sauces that one would typically devour at a summertime backyard BBQ. We looked at a total of 53 keywords across the four categories on Google Trends for the summer of 2022 (Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend).

As the weather gets more conducive for outdoor activities, it means more barbecues, relaxing by the pool, and enjoying the fresh air! Unfortunately, it also means more interactions with mosquitoes and other biting pests that pose a threat to our family members, two-legged and four-legged alike. One of the fatal diseases pests can spread is heartworm disease. Sadly, this disease affects thousands of pets each year. April is National Heartworm Awareness Month, designed to raise awareness about the deadly threat that heartworm disease represents for our beloved pets.

What Is Heartworm Disease?

Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal affliction. Infected animals can suffer from acute lung disease, cardiac failure, severe organ damage, or die if the disease is left untreated. The most common victims are dogs, cats, ferrets, wolves, coyotes, and foxes. This disease is caused by parasitic worms called Dirofilaria immitis, otherwise known as heartworms.

While dogs, cats, and ferrets are all vulnerable to heartworm disease, it is far more common in dogs and ferrets than in cats. In part, this is due to heartworms reproducing more rapidly in dogs. However, while successful heartworm disease treatments exist for dogs, no treatment is available for cats or ferrets. One study indicates that one-third of cats diagnosed with heartworm disease die or are euthanized soon after diagnosis. Therefore, it’s essential to protect your pets from this deadly disease.

How Do Pets Get Heartworm Disease?

Pets can get heartworms after being bitten by infected mosquitoes.

Heartworms can live in the major organs of an animal’s body, such as the heart, lungs, and connected blood vessels. Adult female heartworms living in an animal host produce microscopic baby worms that circulate throughout the infected animal’s bloodstream. When the host gets bitten by a bloodsucking mosquito, the insect picks up these tiny worms with the animal’s blood. When that pest bites another susceptible pet or wild animal, they deposit the infective worms into the animal’s bloodstream.

Heartworm disease has been diagnosed in all 50 states, but the highest number of reported cases are in the southeast, especially in Gulf Coast areas. Warmer climates make transmission from mosquitoes much easier, and the number of wildlife carriers in the area is also a contributing factor.

Symptoms of Heartworm Disease

Not all infected dogs and cats demonstrate symptoms of heartworm disease. A blood test is the surest way to detect heartworms in your pet. Use Heartworm Disease Month as your motivation to schedule regular vet visits for your pet(s).

The most common symptoms of heartworm disease are the following:

• A dry, persistent cough, particularly in otherwise healthy-appearing pets
• Lethargy, poor stamina, and a reluctance to exercise
• Decreased appetite and weight loss
• Swollen belly due to fluid buildup in the abdomen
• Difficulty breathing or shallow, rapid breaths
• Frequent vomiting, sometimes with blood
• Bloody diarrhea
• Nosebleeds
• Blindness
• Seizures

If your dog or cat displays any of these symptoms, don’t hesitate to take them to your vet. However, heartworms cannot be detected in your pet until the parasites are about 7 months old.

Stages of Heartworm Disease

There are four distinct stages of heartworm disease, which are as follows:

1. A mosquito bites a pet or wild animal infected with heartworms, ingesting microfilariae, the immature larval form of Dirofilaria immitis.
2. The heartworm microfilariae mature into infective larvae inside the mosquito.*
3. The infected mosquito bites a healthy animal, transmitting the infective heartworm larvae.
4. The larvae enter the animal’s bloodstream, traveling to the heart and lungs, where they mature and begin to reproduce, growing up to a foot in length.

* Heartworm microfilariae, the microscopic immature larval form, must spend time in the digestive tract of a mosquito to develop into infective larvae. An infected pet cannot pass heartworm to another animal through contact, scratches, bites, or grooming. Mosquitoes are essential to the spread of heartworm disease.

Mature heartworms can live in dogs for five to seven years and in cats for two or three years. (Yuck!) But this long lifespan means that every mosquito season, your pet can develop an increasing number of heartworms, worsening the severity of the heartworm disease and its symptoms.

How To Prevent Heartworm Disease in Dogs?

While Heartworm Disease Awareness Month is dedicated to raising pet owners’ awareness of the disease, prevention is the main purpose. Heartworm disease in dogs and cats can be prevented, so it’s essential to check your pet(s) regularly for symptoms and schedule periodic checkups with your vet.

The best way to deal with the threat of heartworm disease is the regular use of preventative medications prescribed by your vet. Various effective formulas are available in once-monthly chewable form, once-monthly topical applications, and once- or twice-yearly injections.

Effective prevention consists of following your veterinarian’s recommendation and having a proactive plan in place. The American Heartworm Society recommends starting puppies and kittens on a preventative medication as early as the label allows, typically at 8 weeks old. Ferrets should weigh at least two pounds before starting the medication. Experts also recommend that pets aged 7 months and older be tested for heartworms every 12 months. Although cats are less likely to contract heartworms as they are atypical hosts, it is important to provide cats with preventative treatment and test them regularly for early detection.

Additional Protection Against Heartworm Disease

Another component of heartworm disease prevention is effective mosquito control around your property. Remember that mosquitoes are essential to the transmission of heartworm disease. Mosquito Joe®’s barrier-treatment sprays, misting systems, and mosquito traps  provide an added layer of defense and protection against mosquitoes that transmit heartworm disease. With a regular schedule of our barrier treatments, especially during the peak mosquito season, you can protect your family and pets from mosquitoes and the health risks they pose.

You can also lower the mosquito population near your home by doing the following:

• Emptying standing water sources. Tires, puddles, bird baths, and even children’s toys can be prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
• Cleaning gutters regularly so water doesn’t build up.
• Cut grass and shrubs short so pests can’t hide.
• Drilling holes in tires, swings, trash cans, and recycle bins so water drains out.
• Repairing leaky outdoor faucets and pipes.
• Keeping your lawn weed-free and avoiding overgrown vegetation.

Treatment of Heartworm Disease

Heartworm disease is treated in dogs with the use of Melarsomine dihydrochloride. This is a drug that contains arsenic and has been approved by the FDA to kill adult heartworms in dogs. It is available under the trade names Immiticide and Diroban. Heartworm disease prevention is far and away the best treatment.

To find more information on heartworms, visit the American Heartworm Society.

Help Protect My Pets from Heartworm Disease

At Mosquito Joe, we’re dedicated to keeping your family and furry friends safe from biting insects. In addition to mosquito control, our services include flea and tick control. We also provide extensive ongoing education about insects and vector-borne diseases to help you protect all of your loved ones.

To keep your outdoor spaces free from itching and swatting, trust the professionals at your local Mosquito Joe. All our work is backed by the Neighborly Done Right Promise™ and the Mosquito Joe® Satisfaction Guarantee. So you know we’ll get the job done right the first time. Request a free quote and say goodbye to biting mosquitoes and hello to the great outdoors.

Every year, pet lovers dread the return of warmer weather because with it comes flea season. The nasty biters can drive cats, dogs, and even some people frantic with the incessant itching they cause. These bites are not a mere nuisance; they can trigger allergies and cause serious infections for both pets and humans. Thankfully, you can stop dreading the return of warmer weather when you learn how to get rid of fleas for good. Although it won’t be easy as there are many facets to the fight, winning this battle is well worth the effort.

Understand the Stages of the Flea Life Cycle

Understanding the flea life cycle is critical to learning how to get rid of fleas in the home. The four-stage life cycle makes ridding your homes of fleas seem like a never-ending battle. Only 5% of the flea population in your home are adult fleas that are visible to you. The other 95% cannot be seen by the naked eye. So, treating just the adults does little to abate the problem. You also need to learn what kills flea eggs and larvae and use it to reclaim your home.

Flea Eggs
Female fleas can lay up to 50 tiny eggs a day and over 2,000 in their short lives. The eggs are laid on your pets, who then innocently transfer them to other animals and cozy spots in your home. Flea eggs hatch in 1-10 days, which means a new population is not far off.

Flea Larvae
Flea larvae are hatchlings that grow up to ¼ of an inch, feeding on “flea dirt” or pre-digested blood produced by adult fleas. They avoid sunlight, living in dark areas deep in your carpet, bedding, shaded locations in the yard, and upholstery.

Flea Pupae
After 1-6 days, a larva spins a thick, sticky cocoon around itself. Pupae are challenging to get rid of as they stick to their surroundings. They also attract dust and debris, which means they blend in easily and are difficult to see. In addition, the cocoon protects the pupa from most home flea sprays.

Adult Flea
In 8-12 days, the pupae emerge from their cocoons as voracious adult fleas who must begin feeding immediately. They find a host, like your cat or dog, and suck their blood. After the first feeding, adult female fleas are ready to breed and lay eggs in just a few days. Adult fleas live primarily on a single host, feeding on blood and laying eggs for weeks to a couple of months.

Now that you understand the lifecycle of the flea you will be better equipped to rid them from your home. Understanding how to get rid of fleas includes obtaining information on how to kill flea eggs and larvae as well as adults is vital to success. Here are some successful strategies to eradicate fleas.

When Is Flea Season?

Fleas are a year-round problem across the southern and western United States. Elsewhere, flea season, or the time of greatest flea activity, can last for 6-9 months, from early spring through fall.

How Do You Get Fleas in Your House?

The most common way fleas enter the home is by hitching a ride on the family dog or cat. But they can also come in on an old piece of furniture or carpeting. They can also arrive by way of mice, rats, or other mammals that enter the garage or attic. So before you bring something into your home, give it a thorough inspection to ensure it’s not hiding any unwanted guests. It’s also important to make sure your pets receive regular flea treatments.

From the Backyard
Fleas can live and reproduce in shaded spots outdoors, ready to jump onto passing animals or people. As small as a flea may appear, they can jump a significant distance and are very good at hitching a ride on any animal or human that passes by. So, if you want to know how to get rid of fleas in the home, don’t overlook your yard.

From Other Pets Entering Your Home
Hosting playdates for your pup is a great way to socialize your dog and ensure their happiness. But having other pets in your home is another opportunity for fleas to come too.

From Your Pet’s Exposure to Other Animals
Whether at the dog park or your own backyard, when your pet is outdoors there is a good chance they will be exposed to other animals. Even in your fenced yard, you may have visits from wildlife such as skunks, squirrels, rabbits, deer, possums, etc. These other animals carry fleas that may drop eggs to hatch in your yard, and then adult fleas leap onto your pet.

The Neighborhood
Fleas can be a nightmare to control because even once you rid your home and property of these biters, new ones can come in from the neighborhood. So if your neighbor is experiencing a flea problem, there is a good chance that you will too.

Effective Flea Fighting Strategies

Yes, you can learn how to get rid of fleas. Unfortunately, if you share your life with pets, there is no way to rid your home of fleas forever. However, integrating the following strategies into your lifestyle will help you enjoy a flea-free home.

Sanitation
When figuring out how to get rid of fleas, you’ll quickly discover that sanitation is key. Thoroughly clean areas of your home where fleas often breed. Wash your pet’s bedding, your bedding, and your rugs. Then sweep hard surface floors and vacuum the carpets, upholstery, and curtains. A steam cleaning of the carpets and upholstery is helpful for treating severe infestations. Use the hottest water possible and plenty of soap as you clean. This process is what kills flea eggs and larvae.

Pet Treatment
Every pet in your home must be treated for fleas. Bathe your pet with flea shampoo, paying careful attention to the face, neck, belly, and around the tail. Use a fine-toothed flea comb to remove any remaining fleas. A flea collar or a monthly topical flea treatment is highly recommended for all cats and dogs, whether they reside in or out of your home. These topical flea treatments kill flea eggs and larvae as well as adult fleas.

Home Treatment
Hiring professional flea control services to treat your home and garden is the best way to completely disrupt the flea’s life cycle. If you are vigilant with keeping surfaces and furnishing in your home clean, you might only need an outdoor service to get rid of fleas around the exterior of your home.

Follow-up Treatment
Fleas are tenacious pests with a complex life cycle. During the pupae stage, they are resistant to a broad range of flea control products. So sanitation, pet treatments, and home spraying will have to be repeated to get rid of fleas. Plan on at least two or more follow-up treatments within 5-10 days of the initial treatment. Together with continued and vigorous sanitation, this gives you the best chance to break the flea life cycle completely. But if you have pets, you’ll need to continue these practices to keep your home free of these nasty biters.

We Can Help You to Get Rid of Fleas

Fleas are exceptionally fit for survival, but Mosquito Joe can help you to get rid of fleas in your home and yard. Our comprehensive pest control solutions are available across the country. If you’ve tried every home remedy to get rid of fleas and are making no progress, don’t worry—we’re here for you! We offer barrier sprays, natural treatments, and perimeter control services that effectively keep pests away for up to thirty days. Learn more about how to get rid of fleas with our services, request a quote online, or give us a call at 1-855-275-2563.

We often think of summer as the worst time to battle insects. But pests often invade our homes in the winter, searching for relief from cold weather and food scarcity. Nobody wants to spend the winter cold and hungry. Well, pests are no different. The change of weather is a common trigger for a home invasion by perimeter pests like ants, cockroaches, spiders, and crickets. So, start preparing now by learning how to bug-proof your home for a pest-free winter.

Seal Your Doors

Various insects and pests can pass through even the smallest cracks and crevices. For example, our doorways often have small openings at the door jambs and molding that bugs can exploit. Examine your doors, using caulk and weather stripping where needed, to seal your house from bugs. Home sealing for pest control also helps to keep your utility bills down by keeping the heat in and cold air out.

Add Screens

You probably have window screens to keep pests out of your house. But when was the last time you checked on their condition? Screen frames get bent, the screen can tear or develop holes, and rust can lead to openings that pests will march through. When you examine your window screens, check the vent screens, too. Because you don’t see them every day, they may need repairs to keep your home bug-free. Check them periodically throughout the winter to ensure they are still in good condition.

Maintain Your Yard

When learning how to bug-proof your home, you’ll see how vital yard maintenance is. Preventing pests from nesting in your yard is the first step to keeping them away from your home. This begins with trimming and maintaining trees and shrubs. Sick plants are a haven for many insects. Keep leaf litter, weeds, brush piles, and other garden debris cleaned up, so they don’t provide nesting sites for pets. Remove sources of standing water, and clean up any fallen fruits and vegetables to reduce the number of pests that seek refuge in your yard. This type of preventative maintenance can go a long way to keep your yard and home bug-free.

Repair Cracks

Track down any drafts of cold air, cracks, or weaknesses in your home’s walls that might serve as an entry point for pests. Repairing any cracks will help ensure you have a bug-proof house this winter. Rotting or broken wood, broken or chipped bricks, and cracked or chipped stucco can also provide openings through which insects can enter. Carefully examine your house’s siding to ensure there are no gaps or areas where bugs can enter.

Seal Around Pipe Penetrations

Typically, a gap exists in every spot where a water pipe penetrates a wall in your home. Pests can use those gaps to enter your home. Although the gaps were likely caulked at installation, caulk ages, dries out, and flakes away, which creates an opening for bugs. Inspect each pipe where it penetrates the wall to be sure the hole around the pipe is well sealed against pests. Similarly, air ducts that penetrate a wall, like those that separate your garage and house, should be inspected and well-caulked to seal the house from bugs.

Watch What You Bring Home

When thinking about how to bug-proof your home, note the ways that you could accidentally be carrying bugs inside with you. For example, when you bring in a freshly cut Christmas tree or firewood, insects could be coming along for the ride. In addition, fruit, plants from the nursery, and even the cardboard boxes your deliveries are shipped in can transport pests. Before carrying these items indoors, inspect them carefully and avoid storing cardboard boxes in your home. They are an inviting habitat for many insects, especially during winter months.

Store Trash Properly

In addition to removing any excess packaging or cardboard from your home, storing trash properly is another important part of maintaining a bug-free house. Trash provides food, egg-laying locations, and shelter for pests indoors and out. And any pests that have taken up residents outside your home, may eventually find their way in. So, putting a lid over your trash can and regularly emptying it is essential to minimizing the potential for pests to enter your home.

Use Only “Yellow” Lights for Outdoor Lighting

As you know, insects, especially nocturnal ones, are attracted to light. But did you know that the color of the light can make a difference when it comes to attracting insects? Studies confirm that more insects are attracted to white lights than to yellow ones. And they tend to stick around white lights longer too. The studies indicate that insects have trouble seeing yellow light, which means fewer bugs. Using only yellow lights outdoors may help reduce the number of insects that hang out around your exterior lights. And less bugs hanging around your doors and windows means fewer bugs trying to find their way into your home.

Keep Your Home Clean

This one seems like a no-brainer, but when things get busy, cleaning your home regularly can fall to the bottom of your to-do list. Many insects have essential roles in their native habitats, such as disposing of animal carcasses, rotted fruit, and fallen trees. So, it’s natural that they are drawn to spilled food, discarded paper products, and other messes that are part of regular home-life. Therefore, keeping your home clean and maintaining a regular cleaning schedule is an important part of how to bug-proof your home each season.

Cover All Large Openings

Now that we’ve covered many of the smaller details and have you focused and mindful about sealing, screening, and caulking every tiny crack and crevice in your home, it’s time to go big! Don’t overlook those big openings like the chimney and the roof vents. A fine gauge wire screen can prevent bugs and bigger pests from entering your home through these larger openings. Birds, squirrels, and raccoons see these entryways as an open invitation to ‘come on in.’ Although, the arrival of unexpected visitors during the holidays can be fun. These are not the kind of surprise guests we have in mind. So, to prevent a squirrel, bird, or raccoon from crashing your holiday feast, cover any large opening before the weather gets cold.

Ensure a Bug-Free Home with Mosquito Joe

Learning how to bug-proof your home each season is essential for effective pest control. But you don’t have to do it all on your own. Mosquito Joe can help keep your home bug-free this winter with perimeter pest control services. Our perimeter pest control is designed to keep all sorts of creepy, crawling insects out of your personal space. So, the only guests you have this season are the ones you invited.

And when the weather starts to get warmer, our barrier spray service and natural treatments will make the outdoors fun again for the whole family while ensuring your house remains a bug-free home. We offer comprehensive pest control solutions across the country and tailor our services to meet your specific needs. Learn more about how we can help you make your home and garden safe for your family and pets.

Call us at 1-855-275-2563 or schedule an appointment online today! We will be happy to arrange a free consultation so that you’ll be on your way to enjoying a bug-free winter.

Have you ever wondered what happens to mosquitoes in the winter? Well, despite the rumors, they don’t all vacation in Florida during the coldest months of the year. Since these tiny creatures are cold-blooded and most active when temperatures are around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, they become lethargic when temps drop to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. At 50 degrees Fahrenheit or below, mosquitoes cannot function. So, if they’re not heading south, do mosquitoes die in the winter? Some do, but not all, which raises questions like how do mosquitoes survive the winter and where do mosquitoes go during winter? The answers depend on the complexity of the mosquito life cycle and how it adapts to winter weather.

So, why is any of this important? Well, understanding what happens to mosquitoes in winter can actually help protect you and your family from itchy mosquito bites and the diseases they transmit all year long. Sure, we have a thing for bugs, but scientists, professional pest control experts, and residents can all benefit from understanding our pesky, bloodsucking foe, the mosquito. If we’ve piqued your interest, read on to learn what happens to mosquitoes in the wintertime.

Understanding the Mosquito Life Cycle

A mosquito’s life cycle has four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Every stage of the mosquito’s life is integral to providing an ongoing population of mosquitoes. Mosquito control efforts seek to break this life cycle while scientists try to exploit it to defeat these disease-carrying pests. Although the mosquito life cycle always progresses through all four stages, each stage varies greatly in length, depending upon the ambient temperatures of its surroundings.

How Temperature Affects the Life Cycle of Mosquitoes

Because mosquitoes are most active in warm weather (they like it hot), their life cycle completes most quickly in the spring and summer months. Many species move from egg to biting adult in just 14 days at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. A temperature increase of 10 degrees (to 80 degrees Fahrenheit) shortens this cycle to just 10 days. It is not just the speed of the life cycle that is affected by temperature, but also the quality and success. Higher temperatures within the mosquito’s comfort range produce more eggs that hatch into larger larvae that grow into bigger adults (yikes!). But wait! There’s more. Most discouraging, studies find that mosquitoes born and raised in warmer temperatures are also more resistant to certain insecticides. Not great news for those of us who enjoy spending summer days outdoors.

However, when the temperatures drop, many mosquito species enter a state of extreme torpor, like hibernation. This is why many people ask, “do mosquitoes die in the winter?” Although it may seem like they have disappeared forever, rumors of their death are greatly exaggerated. What happens to mosquitoes in the winter is not the end for many buzzing biters, but rather, I’ll catch up with you at the summer BBQ.

In reality, they are indulging in their version of hibernation. This mosquito “dormancy” is called diapause. Diapause enables mosquitoes and the diseases they carry to survive the winter (how did we get so lucky). Some mosquito species enter diapause as adults. The adult females mate in the fall; then, they look for animal burrows or hollow logs to survive the cold winter in a diapause state. Other species lay winter-hardy eggs that can survive freezing temperatures to hatch in the spring (more on this below).

Mosquito Eggs in Winter

As mentioned, certain mosquito species, like those in the genus Aedes, lay winter-hardy eggs that can survive sub-freezing temperatures. These winter-proof mosquito eggs do not die in winter because they have a natural antifreeze that keeps them from freezing completely. They are typically submerged under the ice, where they remain dormant for months until warmer spring weather returns. When the weather warms, it triggers the hatching, and these hungry larvae emerge ready to create havoc for man and beast.

Mosquito Larvae in Winter

Winter-hardy mosquito eggs are one-way mosquitoes remain in diapause until the weather warms. But some mosquito varieties also produce winter-hardy larvae that can slow their metabolism and remain dormant for winter. Active mosquito larvae typically feed on bacteria, microorganisms, and detritus in the water they inhabit. But those in diapause fast until they awaken in spring, which means they are going to emerge hungry and ready to feed.

Mosquito Pupae in Winter

At every stage of their life cycle, mosquitoes are highly sensitive to temperature. Adult females alter the time of their egg-laying based on warming and cooling temps. Winter-hardy eggs and larvae do not develop further while in diapause. Now for some good news. Mosquito pupae cannot survive freezing temperatures, so the other stages adjust their timing to avoid pupating during winter.

Mosquito Adults in Winter

Okay, it’s true. Some (not all) mosquitoes do spend their winter in places like Florida and Arizona. For those adults evolved to survive winter in colder climates, they enter diapause and shut down their metabolism to wait out the cold. Adult females can survive for months in this state, snug in warm animal burrows or protected in hollow logs or similar shelters. This is how mosquitoes survive winter if they don’t head south or west to avoid the cold.

Once the warmer weather of spring arrives, the cold-hardy eggs hatch and dormant adults wake up to feed and breed. This is about all they do during this period. It’s all about survival and making up for lost time at this point. This is why it’s so important to take a proactive approach to mosquito control around your property before the warm weather arrives.

How To Control Mosquitoes in Winter

Although mosquitoes aren’t active in winter, mosquito control can be valuable in the colder months. Eliminating dormant eggs and larvae or killing fertilized adult females in diapause can give you a jump on controlling the biting population in spring and summer. You can see to it that your mosquitoes do not survive the winter. This is the time to begin yard care routines that will interrupt the mosquito life cycle.

Knowing where mosquitoes are likely to spend the winter months hibernating will make it easier to reduce their numbers come spring. Dormant adult female mosquitoes hide in piled leaves, animal burrows, garbage, yard debris, fallen logs, stacked firewood, and tree trunks. So, keep your yard cleaned up and freer of debris to deny them shelter or destroy the slumbering biters. Also, clear all locations on your property that collect and hold standing water. An adult female mosquito can lay 100-200 eggs in just a bottle cap of water! Empty catch trays and wheelbarrows, clear the gutters and eliminate all places where melting snow and ice collect. Continue this throughout the winter to dispose of hibernating eggs and larvae. Spring through summer, keeping these places dry prevents adults from laying their eggs there.

Mosquito Joe Controls Mosquitoes in Winter and Year Round

At Mosquito Joe, our goal is to help you enjoy your outdoor spaces without biting pests. For us, it’s not just about providing pest control services but also arming you with the knowledge that empowers you to protect yourself and your family. Prevention is a critical piece of effective pest management, so you can count on us to keep you informed about what happens to mosquitoes in winter and similar topics.

When you need us, our team of experienced pros is ready to provide the expert services that thousands of homeowners and businesses rely on. We have Mosquito Joe locations across the country. Each is staffed by experts who are knowledgeable about how to effectively deal with the specific critters in their area. Our Neighborly Done Right Promise™ and the Mosquito Joe® Satisfaction Guarantee back all our work and ensure your satisfaction. So, request a quote at the top of this page or give us a call. Let’s make the outdoors fun again!