Where Do Mosquitoes Live?
With warm weather right around the corner, mosquitoes are quick to follow. When you start to feel the itchiness from the first mosquito bite of the season, the first thought that comes to mind is, “Where are all of these mosquitoes coming from?!” The pest experts of Mosquito Joe are here to answer where these pesky pests live and how you can decrease their population in your yard.
Where Do Mosquitoes Live?
While it may seem that mosquitoes occupy your backyard and eardrums alone, mosquitoes actually live in different environments throughout their lifecycle. These environments include standing water (ponds, puddles, wetlands), tall grass, hollow logs, and under leaf litter.
Mosquito Eggs
In the early stages of their life, mosquitoes are aquatic. Eggs could be laid in flood areas, standing water, or damp soil, but water must be present for the eggs to hatch. This is the reason that eliminating standing water from your yard is an effective measure for decreasing mosquitoes.
Mosquito Larva & Pupa
Mosquito larvae spend their entire lives developing in water and feeding on microorganisms, algae, and so on. Once a mosquito larva has molted four times, it develops into the pupa stage, which is also aquatic. From here, the adult mosquito emerges from its casing, dries its wings, and takes flight.
As you can see, water plays an extremely important role in mosquitoes making their way from eggs to adults.
Adult Mosquitoes
Once mosquitoes become full-fledged adults they begin breeding, often within 28 hours of emerging from pupal stage. Females require a blood meal to mate successfully. When they are not out for blood or breeding, adult mosquitoes rest in tall grass; inside logs, hollow trees or stumps; or under leaf litter.
Mosquito Nest: Is It Real?
As you may have noticed, none of these mosquito life stages describe what we might think of as a nest. Mosquitoes are not social insects such as bees or ants, so they will not form a familial or collective nest. Unfortunately, that means removing mosquitoes from your yard is a little trickier than simply finding their nest and decimating it, no matter how satisfying that would be.
How To Decrease Their Population In Your Yard
Mosquito Joe is here to rid your yard of any mosquitoes that are ruining your outdoor fun. Here are some measures you can take to make sure mosquitoes aren’t bugging you:
- Regularly empty ponds, bird baths, fountains, buckets, kids toys and anything else that may gather water.
- Drill holes in tire swings, trash cans and recycle bins so stagnant water cannot accumulate.
- Cut grass and shrubs short – adult mosquitoes gather to rest in shady areas.
- Clean out gutters to avoid standing water.
- Repair leaky outdoor faucets.
- Let Mosquito Joe be your second line of defense by getting a barrier treatment that protects your yard from mosquitoes, ticks and fleas
If it feels like the mosquitoes in your yard never take a break, it’s time to take a stand! Call the pros at Mosquito Joe today at 1-855-275-2563 or contact us online and make the backyard yours again!
