Mosquito Facts
Description
The Mosquito goes through 4 Life Stages, egg, larva, pupae, and adult. The eggs usually are laid and float on stagnant or standing water. In the larva stage, often called wigglers, they are soft bodied, hard head, and with a breathing tub or siphon, at the top of the abdomen. In the pupae stage they are shaped like a comma, and are called tumblers. The adults have long delicate legs and wings. The adult female is longer than the male. The male has brushy antennae where as the female has very fine antennae.
Habitat
The larva and pupae live in water, usually still, stagnant, or standing water. They do not survive well in running water such as streams, rivers, or water falls. Adult mosquitoes hide in vegetation near water or in cool damp places. Early morning or evening is most active time for mosquitoes to feed for their blood meal.
Benefits & Preditors
Fish and aquatic insects feed on the eggs and larva of the mosquito. Bats, birds, dragon flies, and spiders feed on the adult mosquitoes.
The Negative Impact of Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes transmit some of the worst diseases known to man-kind, malaria, yellow fever, west nile virus and encephalitis. Mosquitoes only transfer the pathogens, they must feed on someone with the disease in order to transfer it to some one else. The Brazos valley has had several cases of the west nile virus.
Most Common Areas for Mosquitoes
Small ponds, slow moving rivers and streams, old tires, buckets, pots, and anything else that holds standing water is a breeding place for mosquitoes. Heavily wooded areas or landscape areas around a home, moist and cool areas, and dead areas around a home or structure that wind does not move through are holding places for mosquitoes.
Remedies
- Remove all standing water around the home.
- Keep gutters clean of debris and water.
- Make sure water drains off of flat rooms & porches.
- Keep foliage off the home and thinned out.
- Remove water from things that hold water after a rain. (Tires, buckets, bottles, fire barrels, and wheel barrels)
- Make sure water falls do not hold standing water.
- Change the water in bird baths and flower pots weekly.
- Eliminate ponds and heavy foliage within 50 feet from the home.
- Run fans in dead areas under porches or under homes (Crawls).
- Make sure cisterns, cesspools, septic tanks, rain barrels and trash containers are covered and sealed with a lid or 16-mesh.
- Empty dog and cat bowls daily.
- Fill in stumps and tree rot holes with tar.
- Keep doors and windows closed during peek mosquito times.
- Call us to install our RP Lee Mosquito Misting System.
Always avoid places and times when mosquitoes are their most active, which is dawn and dusk. Always wear proper clothing if you do need to be out at these times. Cover as much of your skin as possible, long sleeve shirts, long pants, hats, gloves and insect repellent are recommended.
