Mosquito bite facts and tips
The information you need about mosquito bites and how to deal with mosquitoes.
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Mosquito Control
Enjoying your yard during the summer is what you dream of as a homeowner. However, mosquitoes can make that difficult. They start coming out during the spring months and are most active at dusk during the summer. Just as you are ready to relax outside.
That's where mosquito control comes in. There are a number of things you can do around your home to reduce their populations, but contacting an expert is your best bet.
They can inspect areas in your yard where mosquitoes could be breeding and provide tips on preventing future problems. Western specialists have the latest technology to find where they like to rest and treat those areas to kill off the adult mosquitoes around your home. The treatments can last for weeks and we can find places that might have eggs or larvae and eliminate them, too.
Call 800-937-8398 or contact us online to schedule an appointment to start enjoying your yard today.
Basic mosquito information
There is some basic information about mosquitoes that you should probably know. This includes:
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Mosquitoes have a couple of sets of wings - one for flying and another set known as halteres that help them control themselves while flying.
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Mosquitoes are actually part of the same family as - the common house fly. They are part of the same scientific order as the Diptera, but there are over 3,000 different species of mosquitoes throughout the world.
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Mosquitoes are very weak flyers - This is why if you sit on your front porch and want to avoid mosquito bites you can have a simple fan going. The wind from a fan is enough to prevent mosquitoes from approaching.
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Only the female mosquito bites people - Males do not have the necessary mouthparts to pierce skin and feed. Female mosquitoes feed on blood to get protein to lay eggs.
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A female mosquito can lay eggs in as little as one cup full of water - Some mosquitoes even lay and hatch eggs in puddles left behind by storms. Mosquitoes will not lay their eggs in moving water however, so adding a fountain or something that moves the water to backyard ponds can prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs there. However, once they are alive, scientists estimate that they live for less than 2 months.
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Mosquitoes are attracted to some people more than others - Mosquitoes find people using their sense of smell and through heat detection. They detect the carbon dioxide we exhale, as well as sweat. Some people have a more attractive smell to them, which is why you could be sitting somewhere getting bite-after-bite and your friend will have no bites.
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Although a nuisance, mosquitoes are a vital part of the ecosystem - Bats, spiders and other creatures feed on the adult insects. Certain species of fish rely on feeding on mosquito larvae in the water. Mosquitoes are not as proficient at it as bees, but since they do feed on plant nectar they even help some with pollination. They are essential to life on Earth, and have been around since the dinosaurs.
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