Mosquitoes & Rain – What’s the Connection?

How significant is a rain to mosquitoes? A rain storm will create ample sites of a storm and then it’s game on for mosquitoes 5-6 days later!

The life cycle of a mosquito is odd in that two of the life cycles are in the water. All of us know of mosquitoes flying around, biting us, making us miserable. But the larvae and pupae stages are actually submerged in water. That is where the rainstorms come into the picture.

Stagnant water after a rain may be evident (such as puddles) but there are numerous spots in people’s home that catch water. Some that are often overlooked are basins that are unturned, children’s shower toys, flower pots, clogged gutters, grill covers and even large leaves. Mosquito control must be done effectively to protect your family and loved ones.

The female mosquitoes produce eggs in bunches of up to 300 (called rafts) and lay them directly on the water surface of stagnant water. Only 1 teaspoon of water is needed to support mosquito breeding. Think of all of the places that could hold a teaspoon of water! The larvae feed on microorganisms in the water such as algae, bacteria, fungi, etc. by sweeping all available food into their submerged mouths. They come up to the surface to breathe through a part called a syphon.

Larvae become pupae within 4 – 14 days depending on the water temperature (warmer water means shorter breeding times). The pupae stage has no feeding as the metamorphosis into adult occurs. The pupae float on the water’s surface and after 1-4 days in the pupae stage, the adult mosquito emerges.

If a rainstorm has recently passed, there will be places with stagnant water that mosquitoes will find. Females require protein to have the ability to produce eggs and that protein comes from blood. They can bite humans, livestock, birds, etc. so basically after a rain, females begin searching and hunting for blood!

Within 6 or 5 days, a crop of mosquitoes will hatch and the whole process starts over again and again. Females can live for up to two months and can lay up to 300 eggs every three days. Now that is a lot of blood suckers! It’s all about the rain for mosquitoes so get ready for battle with mosquito repellent Singapore.