Life Cycle of a Mosquito

If there’s any good news about mosquitos’ existence, their lifespan is brief. Most only live between four days to a month. Plus, they play an essential role in the ecosystem as food for members lower on the food chain.

1. Mating

There’s a reason that mosquitoes are drawn to water because it’s their preferred hatchery. The first order of business for new adult mosquitoes is to mate. Then, according to species, the females fly off for a sip of blood, and the males die.

2. Egg

Stolen blood engorges the females and provides enough protein for them to lay their eggs. Within three to five days, the eggs are formed, and they’ll find a calm body of water and deposit them on the surface. Most species can lay up to 300 eggs separately or in strings per blood meal.

Eggs of mosquitoes are between .5-1mm long and appear like specks of dirt on the water’s surface. Most of these almost-microscopic eggs will serve as a tasty snack for the fish, reptiles, amphibians, and other insects who inhabit the water. The surviving eggs will harden and change from white to black.

3. Larva

Within two days of floating on the water, the mosquito eggs hatch into tiny, maggot-like larvae. They emerge with an insatiable appetite and gorge on microscopic plants and animal life. You’ll often see a plethora of wiggly mosquito larvae on still bodies of water or damp areas.

The larva stage lasts about five days, depending on the species. Their exoskeletons won’t stretch with their growing bodies, so they must shed them to grow. Each shedding is called an instar; they’ll go through at least three before the next stage.

4. Pupa

After the last instar, within five days, the larvae stay sealed in their exoskeleton as pupa. They won’t eat during this stage because they’ve stored all the nutrients they consumed in the larva stage. While the pupae float in the water for the next two days, they will metamorphose and emerge as adults.

Mating Season

Mosquitoes usually mate during the first signs of warmer weather after winter’s past. Countless new adults emerge from the thawing water and mud. Although they have a brief lifespan, the perpetual cycle of mating, laying eggs, and new adults keep the population strong.

New Jersey’s mosquito season usually begins in April and lasts until October. It can start in March and extend into November if the season has warmer temperatures. They are an extreme nuisance outside and inside and pose significant risks to your health.

How Do Mosquitoes Hunt?

When you go outside on a balmy summer’s evening, the air is often teaming with hungry mosquitoes. Although these vicious parasites swarm by the millions during mating season, they’re not social insects. Any other time they live and hunt alone.

They have decent eyesight for an insect, but that’s not the only sense they use when seeking a blood meal. Not only are mosquitoes attracted to bright colors, but they can also sense your body’s heat. As you and other potential hosts exhale carbon dioxide, it acts as a chemical attraction for mosquitoes.

How Do Mosquitoes Bite?

Maybe you’ve seen a mosquito bite you before you had a chance to smack it. What looks to be a single straw-like mouthpiece is a complex set of six parts. After the bitsy female bloodsuckers land on your skin, they probe the perfect spot to feed.

One of the mouthpieces sinks into your skin like a hypodermic needle and sucks drops of blood. At the same time, another mouthpiece pumps saliva into the microscopic hole. The saliva acts as a numbing agent, and you usually don’t feel the bite.

The hungry parasite will feed until they are gorged with blood, and then they withdraw and rest to lay its eggs. Many people are sensitive to mosquito bites and will notice a swollen and itchy bump at the site. The potent saliva can cause allergic reactions and carries potentially lethal viruses.

Four Hazardous Mosquito Species in New Jersey

Mosquitoes are the most significant carriers of dangerous diseases. The only “safe” ones are the non-biting males because they only sip plant nectar. Females of any mosquitoes are a threat to your health, and the only safe ones are dead ones.

Often you can’t identify a mosquito species because they’ve bitten you and left quickly. While nearly all species can carry diseases, some are more notorious than others. These are the four most hazardous mosquito species in New Jersey to watch out for:

1. Asian Tiger Mosquitos

Asian tiger mosquitos may not roar like a tiger, but these striped pests can be just as aggressive. Their preferred habitat is warm, damp areas, especially around standing water. During the day, they are aggressive biters and will attack birds, mammals, and humans for a sip of blood.

• Health Risks

They poses the most health risks than any other. Medical researchers claim that Asian tiger mosquitos may carry many deadly diseases. Among them are yellow fever, West Nile virus, dengue, and encephalitis.

These insects have also been linked with the Zika virus, a congenital disability illness. It’s passed on from infected mosquitoes to pregnant women and their unborn children. This virus can cause vision and brain issues and has no known cure.

• Risks to Your Pets

Heart-worms are a potentially fatal canine and feline condition carried by infected mosquitoes. Tiny parasitic worms can be passed on into your pet’s body, which can invade its main cardiac blood vessels. If left untreated, heart-worms can take your pet’s life.

2. White-Footed Mosquitoes

This species has a wide distribution from all over North and South America. It’s also one of the predominant species found in the Garden State. As their name implies, white-footed mosquitoes have white “feet” and thrive in wooded areas.

• Health Risks

White-footed mosquitoes are most active during sunrise and sunset hours. They are possible carriers of viruses like West Nile, Ilheus, Una, Rocio, and Bunyamwera. They also can carry the Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis virus to horses and humans.

3. Cattail Mosquitoes

If you have a pond, lake, or wetland on your property, you’re familiar with the diverse aquatic plant life. You may have cattails, reeds, arum, lilies, pickerelweed, and arrowheads. These plants create a cozy nursery for cattail mosquito larvae.

Males and females of this species feed on nectar from aquatic flowers. However, female cattail mosquitoes need a blood meal to produce eggs. They can fly five miles for a sip of blood stolen from animals or humans.

• Health Risks

Cattail mosquito mouthparts may be nearly microscopic, but they are powerful enough to bite through clothing. These aggressive pests can carry Eastern Equine encephalomyelitis and West Nile virus, both of which are incurable to date.

4. Common House Mosquitoes

Have you ever tried to relax in your home and been bitten by a buzzing mosquito? It was probably the common house mosquito. If they can’t steal blood from humans, they’ll search for similar blood types, such as pigeons and doves.

Fortunately, your veterinarian can prescribe monthly doses of medication that can usually prevent heart-worms. If your pet does get this condition and it’s caught early enough, it can be successfully treated. However, it’s easier to prevent the disease than to cure it.

• Health Risks

These unwelcome parasites can be a severe problem indoors, especially during warmer months. Their bite can carry hazardous viruses such as avian malaria, St. Louis encephalitis, and filial worms. House mosquitoes often feed at night while you’re sleeping.

Mosquito Prevention

How can you avoid getting bitten by these vicious little vampires? How can you make yourself less vulnerable? Here are a few suggestions for keeping yourself, your family, and your pets safe during mosquito season.

1. Avoid Pooling Water

Stagnant puddles of water are an open invitation for mosquito breeding. Get rid of anything in your yard that can collect water and become stagnant. Keep any ditches drained and cover rain barrels or other non-moving water features.

2. Use Natural Repellents

Fortunately, you have several options when it comes to repelling mosquitoes naturally. Many of the fragrant essential oils you love are disgusting to these biting pests. Citronella, clove, lemongrass, peppermint, eucalyptus, and thyme are excellent choices.

Pour vodka into a small spray bottle and add a few drops of essential oil. Use it as a spray for your clothes or as an air freshener. You can add a few drops of essential oil to a carrier oil, such as sweet almond, and rub some on your skin.

Changing your scents is a good idea so the mosquitoes don’t build up tolerance. Be aware that some people are allergic to certain essential oils, and not all are safe for your pets. Research all precautions before you use any natural repellent or talk to your veterinarian.

3. Dress for Success

If you want to avoid mosquito bites successfully, dress right for the occasion. Mosquitoes are naturally drawn to darker colors and aren’t as interested in lighter hues. Your best options to wear are beige, pink, khaki, or yellow. Plus, light-colored clothes reflect light and keep you cool on a hot day.

4. Encourage Natural Predators

Mosquitoes may be a bane of human existence, but they are delicious snacks for some wildlife. Plant colorful native flowers to attract birds, amphibians, and other garden-friendly wildlife. Place a bat house in a high place to encourage mosquito-eating bats to fight the buzzing population.

5. Use Mosquito Netting

You need protection if you spend time in an outdoor setting like a porch. Installing screens or fine-mesh mosquito netting allows air to circulate while blocking mosquitoes. In tropical zones, people often drape mosquito netting like a canopy over their beds while they sleep.

Can Mosquitoes Infest Your Home?

They are out for blood, and they’ll do anything to steal it, including invading your home. If you have stagnant water, high brush, or certain aquatic plants close to your house, they’ll draw mosquitoes. Once they get inside and discover a family of hosts, mosquitoes can stay and multiply quickly.

An infestation of mosquitoes can be potentially dangerous because of the diseases they carry. Their constant buzzing and itching bites can make for miserable, sleepless nights. Although they don’t build nests, mosquitoes multiply in your house to steal the necessary blood meal.

Avoid a home infestation by sealing any cracks and crevices in your home’s exterior. Seal doors and windows and repair or replace screens. During the height of mosquito season, you can still get an infestation regardless of your efforts.

Time to Give the Professionals a Buzz

Mosquito-transferred diseases kill approximately one million people annually around the world. Call our extermination service today if mosquito infestation is a problem in or around your New Jersey home. Our team of knowledgeable and experienced technicians can get rid of mosquitoes and keep you, your family, and your precious pets safe.

More comparison articles:

Boxelder bugs VS Stink bugs
Mice and rats: What’s the difference?
House Mice and Deer Mice: What’s the difference?
Termites and flying ants: What’s the difference?
Carpenter bees and bumble bees: What’s the difference?

To learn more:

Our service area
Our carpenter bee control services
Our wasp control services
Our hornet control services
Our yellow jacket control services
Six Common Ticks Found in And Around New Jersey