The swarms usually trace back to small, overlooked water sources right around the house. LA's invasive mosquitoes breed in tiny amounts of water close to where you live, so the source is rarely far away.
Anyone who moves to LA from a colder place is surprised that mosquitoes don’t take the winter off. It comes down to climate, and that changes how you have to think about mosquitoes, and how you can get them to leave you alone.
Most of the country gets cold in the winter. That helps a lot with mosquitoes because a hard freeze kills off the adults and forces a population reset. But this isn’t Wisconsin or even Tennessee. It’s LA. So adults survive and eggs persist through the cool months, ready to pick right back up on the next warm stretch.
The other problem is water. You wouldn’t think LA would have much of a problem with standing water, being as arid as it is, but that’s not the case. Irrigation for lawns and gardens gives mosquitoes plenty of places to live no matter what time of year it is. Even a dry winter won’t starve the mosquitoes the way it might somewhere else.
Then, of course, there is the warmth of the region, which keeps mosquitoes going for a long time. LA's mild days through fall, winter, and spring keep mosquitoes active long after northern mosquitoes have gone dormant. Activity eases on the coolest, shortest days, but it never truly stops.
The invasive Aedes mosquito that has become common in LA has only made this worse. They breed in small containers and bite during the day, so the active window is longer and more spread out across not only the calendar, but the clock.
If you're tired of swarms with no obvious source, Mosquito Squad of Los Angeles can help. Mosquito Squad treats the foliage where adults rest and helps you track down the hidden water feeding them, with up to 90% reduction in mosquito activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
