One of the best ways to effectively deal with pests is to learn more about them. In the case of mosquitoes, learning how fast a mosquito can fly, how fast mosquitoes multiply, and what mosquito larvae look like can help you figure out ways to effectively keep these buzzing, blood-sucking pests from ruining your outdoor fun.
How Fast Can a Mosquito Fly?
Mosquitoes sometimes seem impossible to swat. They tend to be there one moment and gone the next. So how fast are mosquitoes? You may be surprised to learn that mosquitoes aren’t super speedy insects. They fly at about 1.5 miles per hour. They’re slower than other flying insects like flies and bees. Unfortunately, they’re still fast enough to make swatting at them an exercise in frustration.
How Fast Do Mosquitoes’ Wings Flap?
Though you might not appreciate it while swatting and slapping at mosquitoes, their wings are pretty amazing. Mosquitoes can flap their wings up to 800 times per second. So, if they flap their wings so rapidly, why aren’t they faster?
A lot of that lightning-speed flapping is not for propulsion but for communication. A study conducted by Johns Hopkins University found that when male mosquitoes fly, they emit a low-frequency sound; when female mosquitoes fly, they create a high-frequency noise. This is how they find each other via their antennae, which pick up the sound vibrations. The communication eventually leads to a lot of mosquito eggs. The question of how fast mosquito wings flap is related to how they communicate and breed—it’s all connected.
Related Topic: The Life Cycle of a Mosquito
Mosquito Larvae: How Fast Do Mosquitoes Multiply?
To get rid of mosquitoes, you need to understand their life cycle. How fast do mosquitoes multiply? The answer is: It varies.
Here’s the mosquito life cycle, from eggs to mosquito larvae to adult mosquitoes:
- Eggs. Female mosquitoes lay hundreds of eggs every few days throughout their adult life. They lay the eggs on or near water. Water is required for the eggs to hatch. Mosquito eggs can lie unhatched through dry or cold periods and hatch when the conditions are right. If there’s enough water and it’s warm enough, mosquito eggs hatch in about 48 hours.
- Mosquito larvae. At this stage, the mosquito larvae swim around, eating, growing, and molting. Mosquito larvae in water are often called “wigglers” or “rollers” because of the way they move.
- Pupae. After molting four times, mosquito larvae become pupae. They’re hard to kill at this stage since they don’t eat and tend to hide when the water is disturbed. This stage lasts for about four days but can vary depending on the temperature of the water.
- Adult. After the pupal stage, the mosquito has grown and developed into an adult mosquito. It rises to the water’s surface and, when ready, flies off to start the cycle again.
What Does Mosquito Larvae Look Like?
Being able to identify mosquito larvae can help in your efforts to control mosquitoes in your yard. So, what do mosquito larvae look like? They look like tiny, ¼-inch, hairy worms squiggling in the water they hatched in. They’ll often be near the surface of the water and will dive down deeper if the water is disturbed.
This is one of the easiest stages of mosquito development to control. If you eliminate the water they need to survive; you’ll stop the life cycle before the mosquitoes can grow to adulthood.
How to Kill Mosquito Larvae
If you’re wondering how to kill mosquito larvae, there are several things to try, including:
- Eliminating or emptying areas where water can collect. This includes pet bowls, bird baths, children’s toys, watering cans, and swimming pools.
- Cleaning your gutters. Clogged gutters allow water to collect. Since they’re rarely disturbed, it’s an ideal mosquito breeding ground.
- Pruning or cutting down overgrown plants. The shady, moist environment created by overgrown plants can create hatching spots for mosquito eggs.
- Using mosquito dunks in ponds or other vessels. These contain Bt, which kills the mosquito larvae after they eat it.
For a solution that will protect every area of your yard, consider Mosquito Joe’s mosquito-repelling barrier sprays, where our certified technicians will work to eliminate mosquitoes at every stage of their life cycle.
Got Mosquitoes? Get Help
Understanding the mosquito and its life cycle can help you battle this pest effectively, which will allow you to enjoy the outdoors more often during warmer weather. However, keeping up the fight can sometimes be an overwhelming task, especially if you have a large area to cover with a lot of plants and shrubs. If you need expert help to take back your outdoor fun, contact your local Mosquito Joe. We can help you win the battle with perimeter pests control, gnat control, and natural barrier treatments that can help keep pests away for up to 30 days. Call or request a quote online today.
