Many people mistakenly assume that mosquitoes only occur in the warm summer months. Only a few people know that female insects survive the winter in hibernation. Eggs are laid even in the fall. Until the larvae hatch in spring, they, like the first generation, need suitable winter quarters. Here you can find out everything about the requirements.
Where and how do mosquitoes overwinter?
Mosquitoes usually overwinter in dry, cool and protected areas such as garden sheds, cellars or garages. Female mosquitoes lay their eggs in the fall and spend the winter in torpor. However, mosquitoes can remain active in well-insulated living spaces.
Frequently visited neighborhoods
- Garden Shed
- Livestock stables
- Apartments
- Basement
- Garages
Demands on the location
- dry
- no predators
- cool
Wintering indoors?
The easiest way to make it easier for mosquitoes looking for winter quarters is to open your windows without the protection of a fly screen (€5.00 on Amazon). Houses and apartments offer optimal protection, especially for adult animals. The females first lay their eggs in a safe place before they look for suitable shelter themselves. For this very reason, it is not recommended to allow stinging animals into the house. Although they go into hibernation to overwinter, as soon as they wake up they are additionally weakened by breeding. Their bloodthirst is particularly high then. However, if the animals find a winter quarters where there are sufficiently warm temperatures that do not require hibernation, they remain active at this time of year, so that the first mosquito bites do not wait until summer let wait.
Suitable places
If you still want to make wintering easier for mosquitoes, a rain barrel is a recommended alternative. By nature, females often lay their larvae in mud or mud. Since mosquitoes have a very low water content in their bodies, they are not in danger of freezing to death. As long as they move into their winter quarters before it freezes, they manage to create a breathing tube to the surface of the water, which ensures the oxygen supply during the winter. Furthermore, it is certainly in your own interest not to let the water in your rain barrel freeze.
