Water Insects that Cause Disease in the Bryan, Texas Area
There are many insects that spend part of their life cycle in water. The most commonly known is the dreaded mosquito. Most water-borne insects are seasonal such as dragonflies, damselflies, and even aquatic beetles. While the list is long, the major concern about aquatic insects that spread disease is mostly to do with mosquitoes.
The Mosquito Life Cycle and Standing Water
From egg to adult, mosquitoes spend their lives in water, but they do not need water specifically to breed. There has been somewhat of a misnomer about mosquitoes needing water to breed. They don’t. What they prefer water, but they will happily lay their eggs in moist soil. So, all they really need is dampness.
Following hurricanes such as Harvey, mosquitoes not only have a lot of standing water, they have a lot of damp, muddy spots too. Those conditions are very adventitious for mosquitoes as their eggs must dry out. Mosquitoes and many other aquatic insects have the capability of going dormant. That is exactly what mosquito eggs do. They dry out and wait until the next rainy season before they hatch. By doing this, they ensure a constant supply of mosquitoes. That is an important part of the lifecycle. Following late summer hurricane season, the mosquito eggs that were laid earlier in the summer hatch and a fresh population of mosquitoes emerge.
The Mosquito Danger from Harvey and Hurricanes
The standing water from this season’s hurricanes is part of this season’s mosquito pest problems, but it is not the only role that the water plays. Where there is water, female mosquitoes lay eggs. All this water – post Harvey – provides many opportunities for mosquitoes to breed. As the water receded the ground dries out and next year’s batch of mosquitoes is ready to emerge as larvae.
The danger from all this water is not just the mosquitoes you battle right now, but also the ones that you will battle next year and that population looks to be massive.
What Can You Do About Next Year’s Mosquito Population?
The focus for property owners is always going to be about standing water. The best time to treat mosquitoes is before the water dries out and the eggs disappear into the mud. If you have water around your home, talk to our pest control specialists about treatment.
What you can do is to make sure that objects that hold water are emptied. Mosquitoes do not need very much water so be sure to check things like old tires, soda cans, and object of that sort. They will breed in shallow water which is to their advantage as shallow water dries out quicker.
The reason you should talk with one of our mosquito abatement experts is that to treat standing water, you need to know the water’s volume. That is tricky to figure out in pools. To- kill off mosquitoes and mosquito eggs, the dosage of the control substance must be exact.
To learn more about mosquito control, reach out to our team. We happily answer questions and estimates that are specific to your property.
