When the weather gets warmer, mosquitoes start to swarm. These pesky, bloodsucking, flying insects have the potential to ruin any backyard event or gathering. However, knowing their lifecycle and how to spot them in any stage of life can help you exterminate them before they become a problem.
Egg
Mosquito eggs are oblong, shiny, and black. These eggs are very tough and can stick to any wet or damp surface for months at a time. Mosquito eggs can even survive a harsh, Northern American winter and still be ready to hatch when the days get warmer. A female mosquito can lay hundreds of eggs at a time, so you should be able to spot them easily.
Killing off mosquito eggs is very simple. Eggs will perish with any sort of dish soap, shampoo, olive oil, or vegetable oil.
Larvae
When the eggs hatch, larvae emerge. Eggs only hatch once the eggs become submerged in water. So rain or physically adding water into a location that contains mosquito eggs will trigger them to hatch. Larvae will stay in the water and begin the process of molting. They must molt three times before moving on to the next stage of their life.
Again, dish soap, shampoo, or oil will do the trick to kill larvae.
Pupa
The pupa stage is relatively short, lasting 2-3 days. The pupa will still live in water and begin transitioning into the adult phase.
Dish soap, shampoo, or oil will also work for killing pupa.
Adult
These are the mosquitoes you know and hate. Once they are adults, females will look for new water sources to lay eggs by, and the males will look for flowers to feed on. To produce eggs, female mosquitoes will suck blood from humans and animals, which is why you end up with itchy bites all over your skin during the humid summer months.
Mosquitos, when they are full-grown, are hard to kill. You can try your best to keep them away, but these tiny menaces can find their way into your house through any door, window, or crack. Simply opening your door quickly to enter your home could let in a mosquito. Females love to be near humans, and they will always find a way to be near one.
Your best option for removing mosquitoes once and for all is to call an exterminator. A pest control service will know exactly how to handle mosquitoes no matter where they are in their life cycle. For example, the Lancaster County community has trusted Kirchner’s Pest Control of Lancaster PA for generations. Kirchner’s Pest Control is filled with experts solving pest problems and keeping your home free of crawling insects, flying insects, and more.
If you want to keep mosquitoes away this summer, reach out to your local exterminator to get the job done. If you live in Lancaster, call on Kirchner’s to handle all of your pest control needs.
