Mosquitoes
(Culicidae)
What are mosquitoes?
A type of fly-like insect, mosquitoes have a slender body, scale-covered wings, and six legs that hang down while flying. These outdoor pests feed on the blood of people and animals, females requiring blood meals to complete their life cycle. Both female and male mosquitoes use their elongated mouthpart (proboscis) to eat. Males feed only on plant nectar and females on both plant nectar and blood. In the right conditions, mosquitoes live and breed in large numbers and can make people avoid spending time in their backyards.
Are mosquitoes dangerous?
Labeled as one of the world’s most dangerous pests due to the number of serious and debilitating diseases they spread worldwide, mosquitoes are most certainly a pest that you want to avoid. Check out this blog for more information on “How Dangerous Are Mosquitoes In Raleigh?“.
Diseases that mosquitoes spread in the United States include:
- West Nile virus
- Eastern equine encephalitis
- Western equine encephalitis
- St. Louis encephalitis
- La Crosse encephalitis
- Dengue
Why do I have a mosquito problem?
Mosquitoes are most problematic when the environmental conditions are right — when the temperatures are warm, and there is plenty of rainfall. If you want mosquitoes living in your yard (which you don’t), then have lots of standing water hanging around! Standing water is where mosquitoes lay their eggs and is the main thing that attracts these flying pests. After the eggs hatch, most will remain close by, feed, breed, and create even more biting mosquitoes. Check out this blog for more information on “All The Ways You Attract Raleigh’s Mosquitoes“.
Where will I find mosquitoes?
You will find most mosquitoes swarming around sources of food — people, animals, or plants (plant nectar). They also swarm around areas of standing water that has become trapped in either natural or man-made containers. Common breeding sites for mosquitoes include water trapped in tree cavities, tree stumps, woodpiles, ground holes, buckets, clogged gutters, wading pools, uncovered rain barrels, and bird baths.
How do I get rid of mosquitoes?
Win the war against mosquitoes and other pests with the help of an experienced professional. At Innovative Pest Solutions, we can provide fast and effective pest control services in Raleigh, NC that homeowners can trust. We get rid of pests and stop them from coming back!
Protecting our customer’s homes, their health, and the environment are our top priorities. To learn more about our locally owned and operated company and our affordable pest solutions, reach out today! We will be happy to provide you with information about our residential pest control options.
How can I prevent mosquitoes in the future?
To prevent mosquitoes from becoming a problem on your Raleigh, North Carolina property, partner with Innovative Pest Solutions. Also, implement the following tips to guard your home against mosquitoes:
- Mosquitoes rest during the day in areas of dense vegetation. Don’t let your yard become a rest stop for mosquitoes. Keep the grass cut short and keep shrubs, bushes, and trees pruned.
- Make sure your lawn has good drainage, and it and garden spaces are not over-watered.
- Keep mosquitoes out of your home by keeping windows and doors closed and repairing damaged screens.
- Avoid mosquito bites by avoiding spending time outside when they are most active — dusk and dawn, and by wearing a mosquito repellent.
- Inspect your property and remove as much standing water as possible. Turn containers over that collect rainwater, clear debris from gutters, maintain pools and fill in low lying areas.
