Mosquitos

• How serious are mosquitos?

Mosquitoes can transmit several dangerous illnesses to humans, including Zika virus. This rare disease affects pregnant women and may lead to birth defects. Over 1 million people world wide die from mosquito-borne diseases every year.

• How do I get mosquitos?

When mosquitoes find their way inside your home through an open door or window, they usually rest in dark, hidden areas, but will come out at night in search of a blood meal. Mosquitoes breed in standing water, so properties near ponds, swamp land, and properties that collect rainwater are at risk. Some mosquito species are active at different times of the day, but most emerge just before dusk and are active at night.

• How do Mosquitos Breed?

Males have feathery antennae they use to locate females. After mating, females typically seek a blood meal to aid in egg production. She often lays them in standing pools of water, but manmade sources can include bird baths, buckets and even mud puddles. Egg numbers vary from species to species but can be as much as over 100 eggs in a single laying.

• What if the lifecycle of Mosquitos?

Wormlike larvae, called wigglers because of their wiggling swimming motion, hatch. They feed until ready to molt into pupae. The pupae are called tumblers, again due to their tumbling motion in the water. Adults emerge from the pupae onto the water surface where their exoskeleton hardens.

Learn more about the mosquito lifecycle or mosquito larvae.