I have mosquitoes! Although I've lived in this residence for several years, this started this past summer and they are still here during winter. I thought I'd get a break until next summer, but no!
They come through a screenless window where my cats go in and out. I'd like an inexpensive, natural repellent. I was prepared to buy netting for over the bed because overnight protection is really all I need, but I know my cats will end up tearing and pulling it down when playing. Any ideas?
By Chantal from Salem, OR
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Are you sure they are mosquitoes and not fruit flies? I ask this because mosquitoes are dormant during the Winter in cold climates (and cool climates like ours in the Pacific Northwest). Is it possible you have a lot of moisture and heat inside of your home where the life stages might be continuing inside your home?
If they are indeed mosquitoes then you need to do some thorough indoor cleanup and find a way to stop the moisture inside.I looked up some information to help explain mosquito dormancy:
Where do mosquitoes go in the winter? Mosquitoes, like most insects, are cold blooded creatures. As a result, they are incapable of regulating body heat and their temperature is essentially the same as their surroundings. Mosquitoes function best at 80o F, become lethargic at 60o F and cannot function below 50o F. In tropical areas, mosquitoes are active year round.
In temperate climates, adult mosquitoes become inactive with the onset of cool weather and enter hibernation to live through the winter. Some kinds of mosquitoes have winter hardy eggs and hibernate as embryos in eggs laid by the last generation of females in late summer. The eggs are usually submerged under ice and hatch in spring when water temperatures rise. Other kinds of mosquitoes overwinter as adult females that mate in the fall, enter hibernation in animal burrows, hollow logs or basements and pass the winter in a state of torpor. In spring, the females emerge from hibernation, blood feed and lay the eggs that produce the next generation of adults. A limited number of mosquitoes overwinter in the larval stage, often buried in the mud of freshwater swamps. When temperatures rise in spring, these mosquitoes begin feeding, complete their immature growth and eventually emerge as adults to continue their kind.
I agree with Deelie, with one extra thought. Have you checked under your house for standing water? I had a friend who had a horrible skeeter problem and discovered after several years that a leak in the pipes under the house was providing a nice little pond for them to breed in.
Deelie & Sylviavie: No, they aren't fruit flies. They bite me & it is a mosquito bite. I keep that room very cool, under 55, to keep costs down & heat and moisture isn't an issue. These mosquitoes aren't lethargic under 55 degrees. Also, I cannot get under the house because it's an apartment.
CS7, since you live in an apartment I suggest you talk to your landlord about this problem. There is no way they are mosquitoes at 55 degrees.
We have mosquitoes in our house but they don't bite us. On Christmas morning we killed 22 of them. We are in Ontario Canada and it is not warm. I am wondering if they are some other kind of flying insect that just looks like a mosquito.
I am having the same problem. It is January and has been very cold and I have Mosquito's!! We just finished building a brand new house and temp and air echange and humidity is very well monitored and maintained.
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