Connor’s: Mosquitoes’ Facts

Monday, 11th July 2011

We all know a thing or two about mosquitoes: we know that they are incredibly annoying during summer cookouts and that they are often carriers of some fairly serious diseases. On account of these two things, we all understand the importance of mosquito control. However, not everyone understands how best to manage mosquitoes.

Mosquito control starts with managing the water around your house. Did you know that mosquitoes lay their eggs in water? Standing water such as puddles and still ponds are the preferred egg-laying spots for female mosquitoes, and so any standing water near your house provides a place for these pests to reproduce. Bird baths, temporary pools, clogged gutters, open buckets, puddles and ponds are all major sites for mosquito reproduction. Since mosquitoes tend to live their entire lives within a mile of their birth spot, you can greatly reduce the number of mosquitoes near your home simply by limiting or eliminating standing water sources.

However, if you do not want to get rid of your bird bath, there is another way to control mosquitoes. Since it takes one to two weeks for a mosquito to reach adulthood, and this entire time is spent in water, replace the water in your bird bath (or other standing water sources) at least once per week.

Doing these things can effectively eradicate a budding mosquito population before it ever becomes a problem.

Keywords: mosquito control