They can, and you’d be amazed how little it takes. A bottle cap or a tablespoon of standing water is enough for some mosquitoes to lay eggs and produce biting adults within a couple of weeks.
People dump the obvious dirty birdbath and drain the stagnant pond and still get swarmed. It happens every day. And this is because the breeding is happening in volumes most of us would never think twice about.
Female mosquitoes lay eggs on or right at the waterline of almost any still water. Neither depth nor volume is necessary, just a surface and a few calm days. Opportunities are everywhere.
Some species go a step further with drought-resistant eggs, laid on damp surfaces just above the water line. Those eggs can sit dry for weeks or even months. Then rain comes, and boom, hatching starts.
The life cycle is also fast. In warm weather, an egg can become a larva, a pupa, and a flying adult in as little as a week. So a tablespoon of water left untreated for a week and a half is plenty of time for a fresh batch of mosquitoes to emerge.
In a North Jersey yard, the qualifying spots are everywhere and none of them looks like a “breeding ground.” It could be something like a plant saucer, a bottle cap, a clogged gutter holding an inch of water, the fold of a tarp, a kid's toy, the tray under a planter, a corrugated downspout extension, or even a forgotten cup on the deck. That's all it takes.
Mosquito eggs are hardy and their water needs are minimal. So your best bet is to remove standing water often, weekly, and again after every rain. If you continue to have problems from there, your best bet is to then treat the foliage where mosquitoes rest in the hot and dry parts of the day.
If you're tired of mosquitoes breeding in places you'd never suspect, Mosquito Squad of North Jersey can help. Mosquito Squad treats the foliage where adults rest and helps you find the hidden water feeding them, with up to 90% reduction in mosquito activity on a recurring 21-day cycle.
