We usually encounter mosquitoes when they fly around at night looking for a bloody meal. However, they do prefer certain habitats where they can lay their eggs and rear their young. In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at these habitats and why they are preferred by mosquitoes.
Where do mosquitoes set up their nests?
While mosquitoes do not literally build nests, they will use standing water to lay their eggs. They can find this water in marshes, swamps, ponds and other wetland habitats. However, any standing water will do, so if you have standing water on your property, you are at risk for mosquito infestations.
How mosquitoes use standing water
Mosquito females will lay their eggs in the standing water, and after 24 to 48 hours, these eggs will hatch. The standing water is important, because it provides organic detritus which will be the main food of the larvae. This detritus can include algae, plant debris, protozoa and bacteria. The larvae will grow fast and after about a week, they will become pupae, and during this stage, the larvae will transform into an adult mosquito. So the standing water offers a safe medium for the eggs and the pupae, and numerous food sources for the larvae. A female is able to mate within a few days of reaching adulthood, and it will be able to lay 100 eggs at once.
How to remove mosquito breeding sites
Professional pest control efforts will target the mosquitoes’ breeding sites, because without addressing this issue, the mosquitoes will just keep coming endlessly. The breeding site can be located somewhere on your property, in a tiny piece of standing water or it may be a larger body of water somewhere in your community.
In the first case, the control process is straightforward, but when the issue is communal, a communal effort will be required. The process will involve either removing the standing water, draining it or treating it with larvicidal substances that will kill and prevent mosquito larvae from surviving in the water. If the infestation resurges, then a new treatment procedure will have to be implemented.
Dealing with mosquitoes is never fun, but with the help of the right company, you don’t have to deal with them for long. Contact us today if you have a large mosquito population on your property, and we will help you get it under control.
