It’s summer now, and it’s getting hotter week by week. Mosquito activity also increases just as the temperature rises. Summer mosquito killing and control has never been easy every year. Mosquitoes are not newly borne just recently. When last winter ends, warmer weather and more rainfall in spring have already provided them with good conditions to breed. It’s the heat in summer that makes them more active.Today, our topic is about mosquitoes. Let’s find out some details about this kind of inevitable pest that we should confront every summer and see what we can do to solve the problems they bring to our life.
Today, our topic is about mosquitoes. Let’s find out some details about this kind of inevitable pest that we should confront every summer and see what we can do to solve the problems they bring to our life.
Where do mosquitoes exist?
Except for the permafrost areas in the polar regions, mosquitoes are found all over the world. According to statistics, there are over 3500 species of mosquitoes in the world. From cities to the countryside, from homes to the wilderness, they are everywhere in summer. Mosquitoes prefer dark, damp and undisturbed places. Therefore, the bushes in the yard and the shade under the plants are where they are often found.
What do mosquitoes eat?
Mosquitoes feed mainly on the blood of people and animals as well as the juice of various plants. Among them, for breeding needs, female mosquitoes singly rely on animal or human blood. Female mosquitoes can live for one to two months and must feed on blood at least once every three to four days to survive. Mosquito larvae live in water and feed on bacteria, algae and organic matter in the water. Some adult mosquitoes may even feen on nectar as a source of energy.
What eats mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes are hunted by many predators, such as frogs, birds, bats, dragonflies, etc. In water, fish, small crustaceans, and dragonfly nymphs eat mosquito larvae.
What attracts mosquitoes?
In addition to dark and damp environments, mosquitoes are attracted to carbon dioxide exhaled by humans and animals. Carbon dioxide attracts them to feed on the blood that provides nutrients for their eggs. Mosquitoes are also attracted to the water that they need to lay their eggs into, especially for water that has been standing for a long time such as drains and sewers. In addition, there is phototaxis in mosquito activity. They prefer low level light environment, in which ultraviolet light is favored by them. This is why UV lamps are widely used in mosquito control lamps.
What diseases can mosquitoes transmit?
It is known that mosquitoes are notorious for spreading diseases. According to statistics, mosquitoes can transmit more than 80 kinds of diseases. In addition, mosquitoes can transmit disease-causing viruses between humans and animals. Common mosquito-borne viruses and diseases include Zika virus, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, dengue fever, filariasis, yellow fever, St. Louis encephalitis, etc.
Zika Virus
The Zika virus has been spreading in Central America since 2015. In 2015, the Zika virus infected more than 1.5 million people in Brazil, causing more than 4,100 microcephaly cases.
Zika virus is transmitted mainly by the Egyptian spotted mosquitoes in tropical and subtropical areas and by Aedes albopictus in the Great Lakes region in North America. The main symptoms of Zika virus are fever, rash, joint pain, muscle aches, headache and conjunctivitis. Patients may also develop neurological complications. Since 2015, Zika virus has emerged in large areas throughout the Americas, Africa and other regions.
Malaria
Malaria accounts for more than half of all deaths from mosquito-borne diseases. The main endemic areas of malaria are Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Central Africa is the hardest hit region by malaria.
On average, one child will die of malaria around every 45 seconds in the world. Malaria killed more than 800,000 people worldwide in 2013, in which 90% of the death were in Africa. In 2019, the deaths caused by malaria is over 409,000. In terms of the total, malaria is responsible for 20% of the child deaths in Africa.
Heartworm Disease
Malaria can also cause heartworm disease in household pets such as cats and dogs. It’s a blood parasitic disease caused by mosquito bites. It is mainly transmitted by the Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Sick pets can experience cough and shortness of breath in the early stages, and later die from heart and lung failure, anemia, fluid in the lungs, or liver and kidney failure. Cats are more likely to die from the disease than dogs because they have smaller hearts.
How to control mosquito increase in your home?
Mosquitoes are dependent on water at all stages of their lives, so they like humidity and water. Mosquito larvae and pupae can only survive in water, and female mosquitoes must also lay her eggs in water.
Mosquitoes can live in permanent habitats such as standing water in rivers, or in swampy areas after flooding or heavy rain. In addition, any area that can hold water for an extended period of time is likely to provide the standing water required for mosquitoes to breed. Therefore, containers, toys, and garden equipment in the yard are all potential water storage containers. To control the increase of mosquitoes, these areas need to be checked regularly.
The impact of mosquitoes on aquaculture
In addition to the impact on our daily lives, the impact of mosquitoes on the breeding industry is also huge. Mosquitoes can interfere with the normal growth of livestock. They can also cause allergies, red skin and weakened immune systems. This can set the stage for other diseases to emerge. Moreover, if left untreated, it is easy to see the spread of diseases between livestock and humans.
In August of 2020, hurricane Lara hit the United States. But it wasn’t the hurricane itself that caused the livestock deaths in the later period of time. Not only does the hurricane not bring mosquitoes, they did kill a lot. As a result, mosquitoes were almost invisible for a day or two after the hurricane. But the flooding after the hurricane caused a mosquito boom. Mosquito bites have led to a widespread anemia in livestock and the spread of other infectious diseases. These diseases are responsible for some of the deaths of cattle, deer and horses.
Physical methods
Physical methods have always been an effective way to kill mosquitoes. As long as there is a small gap in the house, mosquitoes may enter. So, prompt remedy measures should be taken to protect the house. In addition, keeping water for long period of time in a room may also provide surviving conditions for their breeding, so it is necessary to deal with any water that is left in your home in time.
Chemical methods
In addition to physical methods, the use of chemical products is also an indispensable method of killing and controlling mosquitoes. Safe-killer has a wide range of high-quality mosquito solutions for different environments.
Our Bottled Hot Mist is suitable for mosquito control and extermination in courtyards and other outdoor environments. Mosquito control products used in feeding facilities can be used for both space spraying and animal body spraying. Its advantage lies in the rapid and residue-free mosquito killing effect. Besides mosquitoes, the product also has a highly effective effect on flies, fleas and other pests. The Insecticidal Bait Powder can effectively kill mosquitoes and other pests. Its application can be accurately controlled. Our Water Emulsion is produced with deionized purified water as the carrier. It features soft nature and gentle smell. It has no effect on young children or pregnant women. When the product is used, it can be directly sprayed on the floor and all kinds of furniture surfaces.
