Most mosquito species are most active during the hours around dawn and dusk, roughly from an hour before sunset through the first few hours of darkness, and again just before and after sunrise.
Every time the sun starts to go down, the mosquitoes come for you. If that feels like a true statement, then the timing isn’t a coincidence. You just happen to be stepping outside when mosquitoes are at their worst.
Mosquitoes don’t do well in the sun. They can dehydrate quickly and the wind also picks up when it’s warm, which affects their ability to fly around and annoy you. When the sun starts to go down, both the heat and the wind start to level off. The humidity starts to rise once more. And all that combined makes for hungry mosquitoes, eagerly seeking blood meals.
Dawn is the other peak window. But most people don’t notice it because they’re just not out on the patio at 5 in the morning.
There are exceptions, such as the Asian tiger mosquito. They’re well-established across Rhode Island and much of the Northeast. They’ll bite you any time of day and won’t apologize for it. If you’re getting bitten in the middle of the afternoon in a shady part of your yard, that’s the species that’s likely doing it.
Knowing when mosquitoes are at their worst can help you plan. If you have a backyard dinner that starts at 6 PM in July, you know that mosquitoes are likely to be at their worst. So you can wear long sleeves, run a fan on the patio, and make sure you don’t have standing water nearby to help reduce bites somewhat
That said, if your outdoor routine regularly overlaps with peak mosquito hours, there’s nothing more effective than reducing the mosquito population itself. If you’re a Rhode Island homeowner and you’d like to do that, Mosquito Squad of Rhode Island can help. With barrier treatments, you can go after the shaded resting areas where mosquitoes spend the day. That means that by the time dusk rolls around, the population on your property is dramatically lower. Treatments are reapplied on a regular schedule throughout the season to maintain up to 85-90% reduction in mosquito activity.
