Spring fever is in the air again. Every year at this time our minds start to wander and dream of outdoor activities such as gardening, picnics, baseball games and backyard cookouts. Even though we aren’t quite over the “hump” yet in terms of temperatures staying steadily warm that doesn’t mean that mosquitoes haven’t already reared their ugly heads.
I recently had a conversation with one of our regular Mosquito Squad customers who generally starts her service in early May each season. She had called me to let me know that while planting pansies in containers on her patio she had received her first mosquito bite of the season. She called and moved up her initial barrier misting a month in lieu of the bite.
Most people think mosquitoes die out in the winter only for a new generation of the little pests to breed and appear in spring each year. This is a common misconception. Actually mosquitoes are around us all year, even during the winter months. Mosquitoes remain inactive during the winter months. Some types of mosquitoes even lay winter hardy eggs which lie dormant in our soils until spring. Other mosquitoes can survive winter in the larvae stage, in what they call a state of dispause. Dispause mimics been frozen in time, as to say, development of the larvae resumes as soon as the water the larvae is in becomes warm again.
Mosquitoes are very resilient insects. The mosquitoes that can tolerate living through the winter months are the females, they hide in protected places carrying with them the results of the fall breeding after which the male dies.These eggs will not begin development until the female mosquito obtains her first blood meal in the spring.
It is best to go ahead and get your lawn and garden area mosquito proof now by cleaning up debris, brush and standing water. Chances are you already out there beautifying the area with flowers and shrubs anyway. Contact a licensed professional for other helpful hints and precautions you can take to prevent mosquito bites all season long.