Types
Anopheles (Malaria Mosquito)
Breeding Sites
Anopheles flavirostris mosquitoes are “shade-loving” and like to breed their larvae on stream-bank shaded areas.
Feeding Patterns
Feeds throughout the night especially from 10pm to 4am in the mornings.
Possible Diseases
Malaria remains to be the 8th leading cause of morbidity in the Philippines.
Culex Mosquito
Breeding Sites
They breed even in the dirtiest water.
Feeding Patterns
Painful and persistent biters: 300 bites per hour.
Possible Diseases
Transmit disease that lead to edema in connective tissues or known as “elephantiasis”. It can also transmit cerebral meningitis.
Dengue Mosquito
Breeding Sites
A day-biting mosquito which lays eggs in clear and stagnant water. The adult mosquitoes rest in dark places of the house.
Feeding Patterns
Mainly bites 2 hour after sunrise and several hours before sunset. Viruses are transmitted via the bite of various day-feeding mosquitoes.
Possible Diseases
Once infected, a mosquito remains infective for life. Dengue remains to be in the top 5 cause of morbidity in children (5 to 14 years old).
Entry
Since mosquitoes can fly, any opening such as doors, windows, or even small cracks or holes can be used to penetrate a home.
Adult mosquitoes prefer to be most active from dusk until dawn but can become active with sufficient cloud cover or in dark shady areas. They do not prefer to be active in the sunshine since they may desiccate and die.
Ideal Environment
The most important thing for a mosquito to breed is water … any kind of water!
- Clean flowing creeks
- Dirty sewage water
- Stagnant water on drainages
- Deposited water in plant pot plates
- Decorative water plants
- Stagnant water brought by the rain
- Fog in grasses & plants in the perimeter of the building
Reproduction
After mating, females typically seek a blood meal to aid in egg production. She often lays them in standing pools of water, but manmade sources can include birdbaths, buckets and even mud puddles. Egg numbers vary from species to species but can be as much as over 100 eggs in a single laying.
Allergies/Diseases
The females of most mosquito species suck blood from other animals, which has made them the most deadly disease vectors known to man, killing millions of people over thousands of years and continuing to kill millions per year by the spread of diseases. Mosquitoes are pesky pests and can spread disease such as West Nile Virus, dengue and malaria.
“Band-Aid” Solution
Pest-Away’s guide in order to prevent attracting mosquitoes inside your home:
- Keep water in the drainages flowing. Avoid stagnant water by regularly cleaning the drainages & removing garbage that clogs.
- Remove water in plant pot plates. Clean and scrub the plate thoroughly to remove mosquito eggs. Avoid the use of plant pot plates, if possible.
- Decorative water plants serves as breeding site of mosquitoes if water is not replaced regularly. Ideally, water should be replaced atleast every three (3) days or whenever there’s a presence of mosquito wriggler.
- Due to interrupted rainfalls, water has begun to stand in different places especially in the garden area & in the perimeter of the structure; stagnant water should be removed immediately.
- All entry points such as doors, windows, fire exits should be kept close. Mosquitoes & other flying insects in the perimeter can always enter inside the structure whenever access points are present.
All areas must be subjected to pest control treatment to avoid pest
Signs of Infestation
Annoying signs of mosquito activity include the buzzing of the females and their bites. People have differing reactions to bites, ranging from mild irritation to intense inflammation and swelling.
Fogging is used to kill adult mosquitoes infected with the virus to immediately stop transmission. It is recommended as a preventive measure as it will be very costly to do fogging every seven days.
Prevention and Control
Mechanical (Clients, Tenants, Housekeeping)
Habitat Modification
- Cover water drums and pails at all times to prevent breeding
- Replace water in flower vases every three (3) days
- Clean all water containers once a week. Scrub sides well to eliminate eggs
- Clean gutter of leaves and debris so that rain water will not collect as breeding place
- Old tires used as roof support should be punctured or cut to avoid accumulation of water
- Collect and dispose on unusable cans, jars and bottles
- Change water in birdbaths, fountains, pool twice a week
- Keep gutter clean to it drains properly
- Drain of fill temporary pools of water with dirt
- Keep swimming pool water treated and circulating
Reduce Exposure
- Use all terrain insect repellent and wear protective clothing (head net, long sleeves, pants) during mosquito season and when going to areas with high pest population
- Use “bug tight” doors and windows
- Replace outdoor lights with yellow “bug” lights which tend to attract fewer insects
Chemical (Pest Provider)
- Misting and fogging
- Larvacide and sticky traps