Mosquito Identification & Prevention

Mosquitoes are flying insects in the order Diptera. They’re the most common insects on Earth, and they form a foundational building block of many ecosystems’ food chains. Not all mosquito varieties bite. And of those that do bite, only the females do and only when they’re ready to reproduce. Most other times, mosquitoes eat nectar. There are just so many of them it’s hard to believe they so rarely feed on live hosts.

Mosquitoes are dangerous. They spread some of the world’s deadliest diseases and are responsible for the deaths of between 400,000 and 1,000,000 people every year. We don’t have malaria in California anymore, but we still have to worry about other dangerous mosquito-borne illnesses, such as encephalitis.

Most mosquito problems can be traced back to standing water. These insects don’t fly very far from where they hatch. That means they often breed in the same bodies of water where they were born or at least close by. So if you have a standing water problem, you could be being bitten by many generations of mosquitoes.

You’ll find mosquitoes anywhere there is a body of water for them to breed or a lot of hosts (people and animals) attracting them. They frequent swamps, ponds, and other bodies of stagnant water. They also love to crash your backyard barbecue.

Unlike other pests, you don’t really have to look for signs of mosquitoes. If you have them, you’ll know pretty quickly. They’ll be buzzing in your ears and biting any bit of bare skin they can access every time you step outside.

One of the best ways to get rid of mosquitoes in San Diego is to get rid of standing water around your property. If female mosquitoes have nowhere to lay their eggs, they’ll move on to greener pastures. So start by eliminating all potential places where mosquito females could lay eggs. These could be small areas of just a couple of inches of water – things you might not even think of, like pet bowls and even puddles in areas of your lawn that have poor drainage. Some mosquito species can even breed in wet soil.

Reach out to us at Bite Away for eco-friendly mosquito control for your San Diego property.

To avoid future mosquito infestations, you won’t just need to get rid of all stagnant water on your property (or at least change it every other day if you cannot get rid of it). You’ll also need to take other measures to keep them out of your home and yard. And you’ll need to take measures to protect yourself anytime you’re outside, including, using window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside, avoiding being bitten by using tents or mosquito netting when camping, use natural or deet-based insect repellent when outdoors, planting herbs and flowers that mosquitoes hate. These include basil, citronella, lavender, lemongrass, mint, and rosemary.

If you have a persistent mosquito problem, give us a call here at Bite Away Termite & Pest Control for effective home pest control. We can help you whip your current mosquito problem and take measures to avoid a repeat.