It is a common belief, that mosquitoes simply die off as the weather gets cooler. Unfortunately, this is not the case! There are several different species of the mosquito, so how they survive winter varies. During the months of December and January, it is likely you will not feel the wrath of any Mosquitoes except for on those unseasonably warm Florida days.
The Different Species
The Aedes Aegypti, who is responsible for transmitting the Zika Virus, overwinters in the egg stage. When the temperature begins to drop below 50 degrees F, adult females deposit their final batch of eggs in items containing standing water. The adults do eventually die, but they newly deposited eggs go into a state of diapause. Diapause is the process that suspends their development during colder months. As the temperature begins to rise again, the eggs will hatch, and their life cycle will continue as normal.
For other species, once again it is the female mosquito that does all the work in keeping the species alive. At the end of Fall, the mosquito’s mate and the males die off. The females will survive by hiding in protected areas, in a period of dormancy. Once the days warm up again, the female will emerge from hiding and begin the search for food in the form of blood. Therefore, it is so common to be bitten by mosquitoes in early Spring and Summer.
So, while it is not common to find yourself a victim of a mosquitoes next meal during the Winter months, it can still happen! Especially here in Florida where our weather changes so rapidly. The best way to keep mosquitoes away from your blood is to eliminate all standing water, no matter what season.
Read more about Mosquitoes and how to efficiently eliminate the nuisance of these pests around your home here….