Mosquitoes in Winter: Where Mosquitoes Hide
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How about mosquitoes in winter? Where do mosquitoes hide in winter, and is it possible to use mosquito control systems to reduce their numbers in the spring? In order to understand this it is first necessary to understand the mosquito life cycle over the course of a year.
You might think “Why should I?” Surely my mosquito control company should be able to handle all of this.” The answer back might be that you have the problem. You should learn about these particular insects and understand the necessity of the actions your mosquito control company will take (if you have one) to keep you as free from mosquitoes as possible come spring. Let’s start with the question:
Where do Mosquitoes Hide in Winter?
Mosquitoes have a short lifespan. The males die a few days after fertilizing the female. The female then bites you and sucks your blood to get the protein to form their eggs. That’s why only female mosquitoes bite. The males are quite happy using plant nectar for their energy needs. Females can last anything from 2 weeks upwards, mostly towards the lower lifespan. However, some can live through the winter.
Most females lay rafts of eggs on the surface of standing water, such as in pools, ponds, edges of rivers, guttering and so on. That is their primary function. These eggs tend to hatch in late spring/summer. However, some females will lay hardy individual eggs in moist soil that can survive the winter. They lie dormant until they hatch in the spring in moist and warm conditions.
But where do mosquitoes hide in winter? Do they all die off in winter at the end of their life cycle? Short answer: No! Many female mosquitoes can survive the winter. Others can survive, not as adults, but as larvae. Mosquito larvae live in water, and as the temperature of the pond, guttering or even bird bath they are dormant in drops they enter a stage know as ‘diapause.’ This is a state of dormancy, so the larvae can survive winter and becomes active again in the spring. Almost akin to hibernation.
Mosquitoes in Winter: Their Emergence in Spring
Once winter begins to leave us, and spring brings warmer weather, the larvae continue their life cycle and develop into adult mosquitoes. This is enhanced by warm spring rainfall, which provides the pools of standing water they need to complete their metamorphosis to adult insects.
Add these new mosquitoes to the females that have been laying dormant awaiting warmer weather, then come spring you could have an infestation on the very first warm day. That is what you must protect yourself against. So how do you do that? There are several methods of tackling mosquito infestations, but here are the two most common for large and small yards.
Mosquito Control in Winter
Mosquito control in winter involves clearing out all your pools, fountains, bird baths, guttering and any other standing water. You should also check out small spaces between brickwork, damp areas at the bottom of the external walls of your home or garage and the surrounding ground. Look for old rotted wood, where female mosquitoes hide in winter, and any pails, pots or other containers they could be lurking in.
This is generally a cleanup of your yard and other areas around your home. If there is waste ground nearby, then this can be home to thousands of over-wintering mosquitoes. It’s not so much a question of ‘where do mosquitoes hide’ in winter or any other time, but how much you know about their habitats and life cycle.
Use a Mosquito Control Specialist
This type of mosquito control can be very hard and specialist work, but luckily, if you live in an area known for mosquitoes, then will you have such specialist in your area. They can help clean up and spray the area with insecticide to reduce to chances of a massive attack in spring! The better mosquito control companies can install an automatic misting system that will protect your yard, garden or even commercial premises as soon as the temperature rises.
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Source by Peter Nisbet
