Mosquitoes are considered a global danger. They can pass on viruses that are deadly with only the smallest sting. They draw blood through that hard stinger after injecting a numbing agent and an anticoagulant chemical into your blood. They can then draw it and in the process, mix it with the blood it has taken from someone else. This is how it can pass on illnesses like the West Nile Virus which has now been found in British Colombia. The mosquitoes can spread by flight on boats in airplanes and in just about any shipping container as long as the place is dark and cool and preferably wet with fresh water so they can breed. All mosquitoes breed in standing water however some mosquitoes will only breed during a flood season and then vanish when it ends, some will live by a single permanent body of water and only lay eggs in that. There are also mosquitoes that will only lay eggs in human-made structures like birdbaths and avoid large bodies of standing water. Getting rid of them mostly means getting rid of the standing water but something that water is not on your property, it may be on city property, it may be protected land for a specific endangered species. It may be a water feature on a neighbour’s land that does not care about the mosquitoes like you do or it could be an issue on your property that you not noticed yet. Is there a place on your property that holds rainwater for a long time? Maybe there is a container left outside that is full of rainwater and being used by the mosquitoes to breed. The first step is to find the standing water and to try to get rid of it. If this is impossible then you may want to contact a licensed mosquito exterminator who is licensed in the water extermination column for treatment of standing water for mosquitoes and other water-borne insects.
If the mosquitoes have gotten into your home you will need to act quickly. You can use a domestic insect spray on them directly which will kill them instantly and you can also make home remedy sprays out of soap and water that will kill them as well. One great trick to get them to leave is to close all the doors and windows and burn camphor oil. The scent is horrible but it will get rid of the mosquitoes by choking them to death. You can also buy Tulsi plants in planters and place them at your windows. They have a powerful and natural repellent scent that mosquitoes won’t go near. Dry ice and garlic can also kill mosquitoes in your home.
The mosquitoes lay their eggs on the surface of the standing water either individually or in connected groups. When the eggs hatch the mosquitoes will be in their larva stage, unable to fly or suck blood. These larvae are nearly microscopic and cannot be seen by the naked eye so it is important to wash out all standing water sources daily during mosquito season. Freshwater pools, birdbaths and anything that catches rain must be sprayed with a high-pressure hose to get rid of the larva. The larva feeds on microorganisms in the water and stays connected to the surface, if frightened they can dive deeper down but this is no defence if you blast it, add a chemical like a few drops of chlorine or if you just empty it out. This will kill the larva and prevent them from entering the pupal stage which does not feed and must stay at the surface of the water to breathe. They are physically active and can roll or tumble to escape predators. They are unable to bit anything at this point either. Not until they break out of their pupal shell and emerge as adult mosquitoes. If this process is interrupted the mosquitoes will all die before they reach adulthood. What makes them so tenacious is that they breed immediately after emerging from their pupa stage. This is because males are blood drinkers and have a very high mortality rate. So if you have adult mosquitoes on your property you can be sure there are thousand more about to be born.
