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.
It is wrong to forget about mosquitoes in winter because they will certainly be back in the spring. Check out the Mr. Mister website for more information on mosquito control: winter, spring, summer and fall. We can show you where mosquitoes hide and what to do to control them on http://mrmr.biz/automatic-mosquito-control/ - if you can deal with your mosquitoes in winter, then you will find mosquito control to be a lot easier to achieve come spring.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Peter_Nisbet/33774
