Mosquitoes
Only female mosquitoes bite, they need standing water to breed, and both facts drive every effective control method. These guides cover identification, breeding sites, repellents, and bite prevention.
A genuine problem, and the deadliest animal on Earth. Control starts with standing water, not spray.
Size
3 to 6 mm
small and slight
Diet
Nectar, plus blood
females need it for eggs
Habitat
Any standing water
down to a bottle cap
Breeding
Under two weeks
egg to adult in warmth
Risk
Malaria, dengue, Zika
the deadliest animal
Life cycle
Three of the four stages happen in standing water, which is exactly where control starts.
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Egg Laid on or beside still water, sometimes in floating rafts, hatching in a day or two.
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Larva A wriggler hanging under the surface, filtering the water and breathing through a tube.
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Pupa A comma-shaped tumbler that still swims but no longer feeds, for a couple of days.
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Adult It leaves the water to fly. Only the females bite, and only to develop their eggs.
This is the one insect I offer no defense of, and even here the fix is calmer than people expect. Almost every mosquito problem I'm asked about traces back to standing water someone forgot: a saucer, a clogged gutter, the fold of a tarp. Tip it out and the bites drop.
Sam Fielding · field note · about Sam
Typical season
Warm months across most of the US; close to year-round in the deep south.
Only female mosquitoes bite, and between them they have killed more humans than every war in history combined.
