Mosquitoes
About mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are insects belonging to the Culicidae family. Females of many mosquito species suck blood from other animals. Most mosquitoes rest in shady areas during the day and come out either at dawn or dusk to feed. Before sucking blood, female mosquitoes inject their saliva which contains special chemicals to stop the blood clotting. Mosquitoes are extremely good at getting into buildings and have been known to get into people's homes through deactivated air conditioning units.
There are only a handful of biting Mosquito species in the UK. Among these the most common are probably Culex pipiens and Culex pipiens f. molestus.
Mosquitoes go through four distinct stages in their life cycle. The eggs hatch when in or on water into larvae which live in the water, eating leaf debris and algae. The larvae moult several times before becoming pupae, but they do not feed during this stage. Finally the pupae turn into adults which will fly as soon as their body parts have hardened.
What happens during our visit?
Initially, a biologist will attend to carry out a survey at the affected site. At this time, we would be looking to see where the problem is occurring and how severe any infestation may be. This allows us to prepare for the treatment.
We would then return to the site to treat the problem. One of the most effective ways to treat mosquitoes is to eliminate the mosquito larvae. During our visit, one of our technicians will apply a biological larvicide to water bodies being treated. This is a bacterial toxin that infects and kills mosquito larvae. It is environmentally safe and will not destroy other aquatic life as it is highly selective and kills only mosquitoes and black flies. When the larvicide is eaten, it damages gut cells and eventually causes the larvae to die.
