What are mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes are fly-like, parasitic pests found living across the entire world. Female mosquitoes feed on the blood of people and animals to get the protein required to make their eggs. Both males and females feed on plant nectar as their main food source. Adult mosquitoes have slender bodies, long legs, narrow, hairy wings, and extended specialized mouthparts that both males and females use for feeding. Mosquitoes come in a variety of colors, including black, dark brown, or black and white.
Are mosquitoes dangerous?
Mosquitoes are considered some of the most dangerous animals in the entire world because of the significant diseases they are capable of spreading. Some of the diseases mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting in the United States are West Nile virus, encephalitis, and the Zika virus. They also infect dogs with potentially fatal parasitic heartworms. In other parts of the world, especially in tropical and developing countries, mosquitoes spread many deadly diseases, including Malaria. Malaria is responsible for taking the lives of hundreds of thousands of people each year.
Why do I have a mosquito problem?
Mosquitoes are attracted to properties with areas of standing water. Standing water is where most species of mosquitoes lay their eggs and where their larvae develop into adults. Ornamental ponds, wading pools, ditches, bird feeders, buckets, plant pots, clogged gutters, or water on the tops of tarps and trash can lids can all become mosquito breeding sites. Environmental conditions like high rainfall and warm temperatures favor mosquito development. In addition, both males and females feed on plant nectar and pollen as their main food sources. Properties with a lot of flowering plants and trees are attractive to mosquitoes.
Where will I find mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes live, feed, and breed outside. However, they will get into homes while searching for food. They usually gain access into homes through spaces around windows and doors, open windows and doors, or through holes in screens. Mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn, swarming around areas of standing water or food sources. In the middle of the day, when the temperature is high, mosquitoes rest in tall grass, areas of dense vegetation, along fence lines, under tree lines, and underneath decks or porches.
How do I get rid of mosquitoes?
To eliminate biting mosquitoes from your home or business, partner with a professional pest control company. At Proven Pest Management, we offer customizable and flexible pest management services that will reduce mosquito populations. Our highly trained professionals offer property owners personable and personalized mosquito control services at an affordable price. To learn more about the mosquito control services we provide throughout Tennessee and Mississippi, call Proven Pest Management!
How can I prevent mosquitoes in the future?
There are a few ways to try and keep mosquitoes at bay. Try the following tips:
- Keep containers that can collect water upside down when not in use.
- Regularly clean out and refill wading pools, bird baths, and pet bowls.
- Repair leaky hoses and fixtures.
- Be sure to maintain gutters.
- Keep windows and doors shut as much as possible.
- Replace torn screens.
- Place weather stripping around windows and doors.
- Minimize the amount of flowering vegetation planted near the outside of your home.
- Mosquitoes are poor flyers. Utilizing outdoor fans can also help to keep these biting pests at bay.
