Mosquitoes breed in standing water. And they need surprisingly little of it, sometimes as little as a tablespoon held in a forgotten container or a clogged gutter.
If you think about where mosquitoes breed, you’d probably think of a swamp or a stagnant pond. But you can be a mile from the nearest wetland and still be producing hundreds of mosquitoes a week on your own property without knowing it.
Every mosquito begins as an egg laid on or near the surface of water. It only takes 7–14 days to hatch from there depending on temperature. Warmer water speeds things up. In a Rhode Island July, a neglected container of rainwater can produce a full generation of biting adults in barely a week.
The breeding sites that cause the most trouble in residential yards are the ones nobody thinks about. Clogged gutters are the source of many a Rhode Island mosquito problem, as are corrugated drainpipe extensions that hold standing water in the ridges. Plant pot saucers and old tire swings can also be similarly problematic. Even things like grill covers that sag in the middle can hold standing water.
Rhode Island is also close to the coast. That means salt marsh mosquitoes breed in brackish pools left by tidal fluctuations along the shoreline. The mosquitoes that breed in these pools are better at flying and more aggressive about biting, making them both capable of traveling several miles inland and being a bigger problem when they find you. If you live within range of a salt marsh or estuary (or in other words, call Rhode Island home), you are likely to see at least some salt marsh mosquitoes.
One of the best ways you can deal with mosquitoes on your property is to get rid of standing water. Walk the yard after a rain and dump anything holding water. This can go a long way toward helping curtail mosquito populations before they take off and become especially annoying.
If you are a homeowner in Rhode Island and you are tired of dealing with mosquitoes, Mosquito Squad of Rhode Island can help. Mosquito Squad targets both the breeding areas and the resting areas on your property. That way, the full life cycle is targeted and can reduce the mosquito population where you spend your time.
