The danger
Where do mosquitoes come from? They enter a house or apartment through open doors, windows, through cracks and cracks. If a female mosquito has laid larvae in the warm season, this question disappears by itself. Mosquitoes are not harmless insects. Besides the fact that they make unpleasant annoying sounds, bite and prevent sleep at night, mosquitoes often become carriers of dangerous diseases, infections and allergic reactions.
These insects attack several people at once. Therefore, they can easily transfer from an infected to a healthy infection. They are the cause of malaria, tularemia, yellow fever, lymphatic filariasis. In addition, the mosquito bite itches. Sometimes this trauma to the skin leads to scarring and scarring.
Where did the apartment come from
Mosquitoes hibernate in basements. In the spring they intensify their activities. As the population grows, they rise to the upper floors. Apartments on the 1-3 floor suffer the most. But along the ventilation shaft, in the elevator, they climb to the last. If the roof leaks in the house, water stagnates, insects live in the attic. The most common ways of entering a room are through windows, doors, and cracks in the wall.
Where do mosquitoes come from?
Many people are interested in the answer to this question. Mosquitoes are nocturnal insects. They multiply rapidly and are most active in humid and warm environments. They choose swampy, warm and damp places for life. Where do mosquitoes come from in homes? These insects are common not only in rural areas, but also in cities.
In city apartments, insects appear in spring and autumn, when the temperature outside is still or is already uncomfortable for them. Sometimes mosquitoes are active in winter, crawling out of basements and secluded places. They accumulate where there is a lot of water. Apartments are entered through ventilation, elevator shafts, staircases, garbage chutes.
The answer is simple: from other mosquitoes. Many people notice that in the spring, with the onset of warm temperatures and sunny days, these insects appear in the apartment. But before getting to the apartment, did they spend the night somewhere? Not. The life cycle of these insects helps to understand where mosquitoes come from.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with the causative agent of malaria is the anopheles mosquito
The fact is that at temperatures below 12 degrees, they begin to look for a warm secluded place to lay offspring. During the whole winter, the old generation dies and a new one appears. They do not like heat either, which explains the fact that mosquitoes appear in the late afternoon during the day. The comfort temperature is considered to be 20 degrees.
Views
Where do mosquitoes come from after winter? Most often, these insects make masonry in apartments, penetrating into them through basements or stairwells. It is not difficult for them to get into the living quarters, especially at the peak of migration. With the onset of spring and a sharp warming, their activity increases. In total, there are about three hundred species of mosquitoes in the world. The most dangerous is considered to be malarial. The threat is that they can feed on the blood of dead animals and then move to humans. The following are the types of these blood-sucking insects:
- Squeak mosquito. The most common species that adapts quickly. This mosquito is wild, lives in forest areas, parks, but also occurs in cities.Some mosquitoes of this species have adapted well to civilization, they are able to reproduce in extreme conditions. "Urban" do not hibernate, so it is easy to meet them even in winter.
- Malarial. A tropical mosquito with small worms in its stomach. When bitten, they enter the human lymphatic system, where they multiply.
- Tiger. This species also poses a danger to humans, becomes a carrier of dangerous diseases and infections.
Where do large non-biting mosquitoes come from? These insects scare a person with their appearance. They are also called centipedes. A large species lives in the wild, near water bodies. In cities, it practically does not occur.
Features of the
Where do mosquitoes come from and how long do they live after being bitten? Most often, these insects enter the house from the street, where they reproduce. That is why they cause so much inconvenience to a person in winter. It is worth noting that "winter" mosquitoes are weaker and easy to kill. The mosquito attacks a person as soon as it senses it. The insect can hunt for a long time, because its main goal is to bite.
During the bite, a kind of exchange occurs: the mosquito takes blood from its victim, and gives up saliva. It prevents coagulation and the insect is able to “enjoy” its prey for a long time. The substance in the saliva of the mosquito causes discomfort at the site of the lesion, provokes redness and itching. It causes severe allergic reactions in people with sensitive skin.
Fumigants
Fumigants are by far the most common mosquito repellent at home. From Latin, the word fumigo is translated as "fumigate", "smoke". From this it becomes clear that this category consists of agents that, when smoldering, smoking or evaporation, release insect-destroying substances into the air. Moreover, the action of fumigants is aimed precisely at destruction, and not at scaring away mosquitoes. Electric shredders or fumigators are now available in most specialty stores and even supermarkets. Among the most popular manufacturers of these tools are Raptor and Raid. The principle of their operation is quite simple: a special device must be plugged into an outlet, from electricity it begins to heat a plate or a liquid soaked in an insecticidal substance. Usually, the death of mosquitoes in an apartment occurs within half an hour. Fumigators are designed to fight mosquitoes in an apartment at night. One fumigator plate lasts for 8-18 hours, fumigators with liquid insecticide are designed for a longer duration - up to 45 nights.
These drugs are usually based on pyrethroid insecticides, the most common are pralletrin and esbiothrin. Experts recommend buying pralletrin-based fumigators because it is safer and used in lower concentrations. This substance is a synthetic analogue of the extract from Dolmat chamomile, which is even used for children's fumigants.
Despite their high efficiency, such mosquito repellents in an apartment have a number of disadvantages. First, not everyone uses them correctly. It is worth remembering that the action of this tool is designed for an area of 12 sq. m. The fumigator is turned on in a room without people, they wait half an hour, ventilate the room and turn it off. In our country, it is often left on all night almost at the head of the bed. mosquito control in your apartment should be safe for you. Although these products contain small concentrations of insecticides, they cannot be called completely safe. Fumigators are not recommended for use in rooms with children or pregnant women, as well as with people who have respiratory diseases.
Also, do not use the fumigator with the windows closed, which is difficult to imagine on hot summer days.
How to find the place where mosquitoes come from?
Travelers notice that in some places, human blood lovers attack the most desperately. This is due to how mosquitoes appear: moisture, which is necessary for the continuation of reproduction, is in nature in certain places. Therefore, especially in large flocks they can be found:
- In the woods.
- In the park.
- On the sea.
- Near the river, lake.
- Near the swamps.
The eggs of the female lay on the surface of the reservoir, but as soon as they stop laying, the eggs sink to the bottom. Recently, a new concept has appeared - urban mosquitoes. Such individuals are much smaller and weaker than those who breed in the above-described places. They bite with more caution! The explanation lies in the fact that females do without males and lay unfertilized eggs.
Weak points where mosquitoes come from in an apartment can be windows, ventilation and doors. These are the holes that allow insects flying in the smell to pass through. If there is a body of water nearby (puddle, pool with standing water), then there is a way to check if the larvae of these parasites are there at the moment. To do this, you need to stir up the water by throwing a stone there or moving a stick.
Thus, it is not surprising that hungry insects attack in the late afternoon, and leave their victims alone in the middle of the day. Females, capable of biting as many as 15 times per night, amaze with their arrogance and perseverance, forcing more and more people to wonder where mosquitoes come from. Small insects teach a lesson in patience and perseverance to everyone, forcing him to go to the goal, even if it is “300 km”.
We suggest that you familiarize yourself with How to pass scraping for enterobiasis for an adult
Insect life cycle
A mosquito is easy to recognize when it sits on a part of the body that is free from clothing and begins to bite. Most people do not consider it necessary to look closely at this insect, instead trying to swat it harder at the time of the bite.
Mosquitoes belong to the Culicidae family, whose insects exhibit common characteristics that can always be determined upon close examination.
Link to topic
You can learn more about fruit flies here.
In entomological terms, mosquitoes are true flies with long whiskers. Mosquito antennae have 6 or more segments. The antennae of the male are slightly different from those of the female. They are quite feathery, providing a large surface for finding females ready to mate. During this period, females emit a special tone when buzzing, the frequency of which is captured by the feathers on the antennae of males.
As strange as it sounds, adult mosquitoes do not feed on blood. Females need it only for procreation, although some of the blood is spent on the needs of digestion.
Males are not destined to learn the taste of blood throughout their short life, they do not even have one adapted for piercing the skin and sucking blood through the mouth apparatus. By the way, female mosquitoes bite not only humans, but also any other warm-blooded animals and even birds, reptiles and amphibians.
Mosquito larvae feed on organic matter dissolved in water, including algae, protozoa, decaying debris, and even other larvae of their own species when hunger strikes. Adult insects of both sexes feed on the nectar of flowers.
The mosquito's life cycle is completed in four stages, when complete metamorphosis should occur.
- The female mosquito lays eggs on the surface of stagnant water. Less commonly, this occurs on the surface of moist soil, when water can flood it.
- The larvae form and live in the water, bringing out a breathing device sometimes called a siphon.
- Within one to two weeks, the larvae pupate.Pupae are unable to feed, but can be active, swimming on the surface of the water when temperature conditions permit it.
- Adult insects appear, as a rule, within a few days and sit for some time on the surface of the water, and when they are completely dry, they will be ready to fly. Adult females live from two weeks to two months, males - no more than a week.
After the adult female is fully formed, she begins to search for her prey. This insect species has a very well developed system for detecting potential sources of fresh blood. On the antennae of females, each segment is capable of subtly reacting to any stimulus that signals the insect about the proximity of the prey. If you have been bitten by a mosquito, find out what needs to be done by following the link.
Close to a mosquito is very relative. When the smell of human sweat, containing the strong irritant octenol, is present in the air, mosquitoes detect it 5 km away. The antennae segments, which react to carbon dioxide in the exhaled air, allow the mosquito to accurately determine the direction of its flight to the victim from a distance of a couple of hundred meters. These insects are able to feel the warmth of the human body, being 50 meters from their prey. All of these indicators can increase by half when the wind blows from the victim to the mosquito.
Mosquitoes
Once at the bottom of the reservoir, the eggs begin to develop. A young individual grows up in 21 days and is able to survive the winter if the temperature does not drop below 12 degrees, but before that it needs to develop. In total, the life cycle of adults takes about 56 days. In addition, already inside the female itself, the larvae develop within 3 days.
From a larva, a mosquito turns into a pupa, more reminiscent of a comma with eyes than an insect. Having been in this state for 3 to 5 days, the pupa is torn apart by an adult mosquito. The size of the baby does not exceed 4 mm, but he is already able to fertilize. Therefore, he does not fly to eat, but immediately begins to call the females with a squeak in order to continue the race.
Folk remedies
On our website there is a detailed material about folk methods of protection against mosquitoes, but here we will only outline such means in general terms.
To get rid of mosquitoes at home will help:
- Essential oils, which are burned in aroma lamps and repel insects, and can also be sold as incense sticks, will effectively drive mosquitoes out of the room.
- Plants that are not tolerated by mosquitoes. Also worth mentioning here is feverfew - a grated mixture of several varieties of chamomiles, a remedy that is used against many insects.
Indoor mosquito repellents are diverse enough to choose the best mosquito repellent for your home or a set of measures to keep your family safe and secure.
The reasons
Where do mosquitoes come from? Their appearance in a house or apartment is not associated with the arrangement of everyday life and other factors. The specificity is that they always settle next to a person. The main way they spread is through migration. Insects breed near the food source. The appearance of mosquitoes in the city is due to the rainy and warm weather. They penetrate into apartments from the street, especially if the summer is rainy and warm.
In unfavorable periods (drought, severe cold), they wait out in shaded, maximally humid places. Mosquitoes often hide in houses and apartments:
- in curtains, on ceilings or walls - where there is little light;
- behind paintings, cupboards, under carpets;
- in window frames, narrow cracks.
Mosquitoes breed in a dark and humid place. However, the survival rate of larvae in living quarters is low.
Where do they go
In autumn, when the temperature drops to 10 degrees Celsius, insects hide in secluded places.Where pests go in the middle of summer, there are also explanations. The vital activity of mosquitoes is highly dependent on climatic conditions. For normal life, an air temperature of 20-25 degrees Celsius, humid air is required.
In damp warm weather, the mosquito family reproduces at an extraordinary rate. The entire development cycle takes 2 weeks. On dry, sultry days, insects lose their ability to fly. Their body dries out on the fly. In urban areas in the middle of summer, when it is hot, mosquitoes are not seen. But as soon as you go fishing, the lake, you will have to fight off them again.
Mosquitoes
On a note!
In a damp wetland, mosquitoes continue to function throughout the warm season. They feed on the blood of wild animals, birds, accidentally wandered people. They can overwinter in the forest floor, under the bark of trees.
Mosquito secrets
Interestingly, if it were not for the female's need for blood, no one would have thought about where the mosquitoes came from. Males live only 10 days, after which they die. They do not poke around in people's apartments, since they are of little interest there - the food is in the meadow, and the females that suck blood are already fertilized. Virgin individuals, that is, unfertilized females, also do not feel the need for blood. They feed on nectar in a meadow or in glades with small flowers in the forest.
We suggest that you familiarize yourself with How to deal with flies at home
To get to the victim, a hungry female is ready to fly 300 km, while developing a speed of only 3 km per hour. They cannot make a mistake in finding food: the victim betrays himself within a radius of 30 m by smell and temperature. Mosquitoes have ultraviolet vision to detect the body, and the smell of sweat, carbon dioxide and other microorganisms on the skin suggests that the body is still alive.
Reproduction
The lifespan of mosquitoes depends not only on environmental conditions, but also on the sex of the individual. The female, under favorable conditions for her, is able to live for 56 days. The young generation of mosquitoes is born about 21 days later. Initially, males come out, fly to the grass near the place where they lived as larvae, wait for females.
The active process of insect reproduction begins at the end of April, in May. Insects gather in flocks, fertilization occurs on the fly. Young females attract individuals of the opposite sex with a special squeak.
Mosquito breeding cycle
Within 10 days after fertilization, males die, females look for a victim to drink blood. This power source is required for the egg formation process to begin.
Interesting!
About 150 pieces are formed at a time, so the female is extremely bloodthirsty. She drinks twice as much blood at a time as she weighs - 5.5 ml.
Having satisfied the nutritional needs, the insect looks for a place to lay eggs. This should be a stagnant pool or basement with running water. Less commonly, the mosquito lays its eggs in moist soil.
Inside the female, the young generation develops for about 3 days. Lays future larvae in groups or one at a time. At the end of this stage, the insect again looks for a victim to carry out the repeated process.
