Understanding the Mosquito Life Cycle
Can Help With Control

Knowledge of the mosquito life cycle can help with the preventention of an infestation of mosquitoes in your backyard. Even though there are about 150 different species of these biting insects in North America, the lifecycle of a mosquito is basically the same no matter what the species. Understanding the mosquito lifecycle can help with controlling and even eliminated these disease carrying insects. Mosquitos go through the usual life cycle of other insects, which is:

• A female mosquito lays eggs in water
• The eggs hatch into larvae, often called wigglers
• The next stage is the pupae stage where the mosquitoes do not feed
• The pupa shed their skins and become adult mosquitoes

Biting Insects

You only get bites from the female mosquitoes that need the blood for the protein they need to produce eggs. The males do not have the proper mouthparts for biting and as such are harmless, feeding on the nectar of plants. However, you cannot tell whether a mosquito is a male or female when it is buzzing around your head.

A female mosquito has a long sharp beak, which is what pierces the human skin. Once she has her fill of blood she lays a round of eggs and then starts hunting again. Each bite you get means that another female is laying eggs and setting the stage for more mosquitoes. Since mosquitoes are poor flyers, they do not travel more than 200 or 300 feet from where they hatch. Armed with this information, you can easily destroy any insect population within the perimeter of your property.

Garlic Spray

If you don't want to use mosquito traps or repellents, garlic spray is an effective method of control. Mosquitoes are repelled by the smell of garlic, but then so are some humans. You can eat a lot of garlic to help repel these insects, but there are organic garlic sprays that many farmers use on their crops. Garlic plants and powder also help, but they are not strong enough to repel a lot of mosquitoes.