Mosquitoes are the peskiest of pests, but where do they hide and live?
They seem to come out of nowhere and attack you when you least expect it. Mosquito bites itch and they can cause skin irritations, but the worst thing about mosquitos is that they carry diseases.
It’s hard to escape mosquitos when they’re flying around your backyard. But to get rid of them, we need to know where do mosquitos hide during the day.
There are a lot of misconceptions about where mosquitoes live or hide in your backyard – we’ll clear those up for you in this article.
Where do Mosquitos Hide in Your Backyard?
Mosquitoes have three life stages – larva, pupa, and adult. Mosquitos live in different areas around your backyard depending on which life stage they’re in.
This is important to know because there are different ways to control mosquitos in each life cycle. The information below will help you understand where mosquitos live in each life stage and how to stop them.
Mosquito Larva and Pupa Locations
Mosquitoes in the larva and pupa phase live in moist areas where there is a lot of standing water, such as puddles or ponds.
Mosquitos lay their eggs in water which begins the life cycle of the mosquito. If you live near a body of water then your backyard is likely home to mosquitos.
Mosquito eggs hatch into larva in as little as a few days to as long as several months. Larvae live in still or slow-moving bodies of water like ponds, puddles, and clumps of standing water where they eat algae and other mosquito larvae.
Larvae molt and turn into pupae in about five to seven days. Pupae hide near the banks or margins of these bodies of water until they emerge as an adult mosquito. This process takes around two to three days.
Mosquitos live in the water as larva and pupa during the first 7 days of their life before emerging as an adult mosquito.
Here are common areas around your yard that hold water and house mosquitos during the first week of their life.
- Under Decks
- Gutters
- Ponds
- Planters and Pots
- Pet Bowls
- Bird Baths
Use mosquito donuts and bits in these areas to eliminate mosquitos before they hatch into a full adult that can make your life miserable.
Adult Mosquito Hiding Spots
Adult mosquitos typically live 2-3 weeks after they emerge from the larva.
Adult mosquitos don’t live in water but they look for dark places with standing water nearby when choosing their home. Eliminating standing water around your home will go a long way in reducing the number of mosquitos in your yard.
Here are common areas where you will find adult mosquitos hiding in your yard.
- Trees – Mosquitos hide in the leaves and branches of trees in your yard.
- Shrubs – Mosquitos live inside shrubs and bushes around your yard.
- Tall Grasses – Mosquitos hide in tall, wet grasses where they live in the thatch.
- Piles of Leaves, Grass, or Wood – Any piles of yard waste will attract mosquitos that live in the debris.
Ultimately, you will find mosquitos in any area around your yard that is moist, dark, and protected from the wind.
These are the areas to target with mosquito foggers and sprays in order to effectively kill mosquitos while they rest.
Related Questions
Where do mosquitos sleep?
Mosquitos don’t sleep, but they do have times when they are inactive. You will find resting mosquitos in areas near water that are damp and dark where they feel safe from the wind. This includes trees, shrubs, and tall grasses around your yard.
How do mosquitos reproduce?
Mosquitoes will live for a few weeks to several months before mating and laying eggs on stagnant ponds or still pools of water such as small containers that may hold rainwater in your yard.
When are mosquitos inactive?
Mosquitoes are inactive when the sun is up. If you see them flying during this time, it means that they can sense body heat and carbon dioxide which indicates that people may be close by.
How do mosquitos find a host?
Female mosquitoes need blood before laying eggs in order to produce more females. Only female mosquitos feed on blood. They are attracted to carbon dioxide, which humans and animals give off when they breathe out.
Mosquitos will typically bite at night because the wind is not blowing during this time of day. In addition, mosquitos can sense where people may be located from a distance as their heat signature rises above the rest of nature as it cools during the evening.
Do mosquitos hide in the grass?
Adult mosquitos may find cover in tall grass, large plants, or bushes near people where they feed at night. Mosquitos will typically hide in places where there is standing water nearby such as puddles that can provide a moist, dark place for them to lay their eggs.
Where do mosquitos go in the winter?
Most mosquitos will try to find a warm place to hibernate during the winter. They are most often found in and around homes where they can take shelter from freezing temperatures or rain showers.
What time of night do mosquitos go away?
Adult mosquitos will typically try to feed and lay eggs before the sun rises. They go away soon after the sun starts shining, around sunrise or just prior to sunset. Even though mosquitos are more active at night they still come out during the day if they detect a warm body or carbon dioxide nearby.
What temp do mosquitos go away at night?
Mosquitos will stop looking for food and try to find shelter if the temperature falls below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. If it’s colder than 50 degrees outside, there won’t be any mosquitos. Mosquitoes prefer temperatures around 75 to 80 degrees, but they will be active in colder temperatures.
Conclusion
Mosquitoes are the bane of many lives, but understanding where mosquitos live and how to stop them can help you enjoy your backyard again.
We’ve given you a lot of information about mosquitos and what they need to survive. Now that you know where mosquitoes live, how do you stop them?
There are many ways to deter or kill these pesky creatures depending on which life stage they’re in. If the mosquito is an adult, then it needs blood meals for its own survival so using bug repellent will help keep it away from your skin. If the mosquito is a larva or pupa, then there are different strategies to use to stop them from becoming an adult mosquito.
Check out our article on how to deter or kill mosquitoes for more information about this pesky pest!