Mosquitoes need standing water to breed and shaded, humid spaces to rest during the day. The city provides plenty of both.
You might expect mosquitoes to be a rural or suburban problem. After all, mosquitoes aren’t associated with the big city. You think of them as something that comes with woods and marshes, not sidewalks and row houses. But cities are surprisingly good mosquito habitats, and living in an urban area doesn't protect you from them.
Mosquitoes breed in standing water, and urban environments are full of it. Storm drains, clogged gutters, discarded tires, abandoned containers, construction sites with pooling water, even bottle caps and litter—these can all support mosquito larvae. Worse still, the Asian tiger mosquito is well established in the New York metro area, and it’s particularly well-suited to urban environments. It breeds in tiny containers and bites aggressively during the day.
In some ways, urban density can even worsen the problem. Properties are close together after all, which means a neighbor’s neglected birdbath or overflowing trash can could both easily produce mosquitoes that end up in your yard. You can eliminate every water source on your own property and still deal with mosquitoes coming in from sources you can’t control.
Though the city might seem like a sea of concrete, there are still plenty of green spaces too. Parks and community gardens, as well as tree-lined streets, are good habitats for mosquitoes to rest between blood meals. Mosquitoes are small, so they don’t need much vegetation to hide.
The upshot is that urban living doesn't exempt you from mosquitoes. There are plenty of places for water to be left standing and stagnant, and vegetation can be found in even the most concrete of jungles.
If you're tired of dealing with mosquitoes on your Nassau-Queens property, Mosquito Squad of Nassau-Queens can help. Mosquito Squad treats the resting areas and breeding sites on your property, reducing mosquito numbers by up to 90% for 21 days at a time, even in the middle of the city.
