Mosquito Control 101: Reducing Mosquitoes On Your Denton Property

The Importance Of Mosquitoes To Our Environment

Mosquitoes play a vital role in the environment, but before we discuss what they do and why they do it, we need to start with how mosquitoes carry out their ecological mission. To answer this first question, we need to answer the question, what are mosquitoes? 

Mosquitoes are 1/8 to 3/8-inch grey to black insects with two wings, two antennae, and six jointed legs connected to a three-part body. The head is the front body segment and contains the mouthpart that can pierce human skin (known as the proboscis), two compound eyes, two antennae, and palps, which are organs that help the insect sense odor. The legs and wings connect to the middle (thorax) and rear (abdomen) sections. 

The feeding habits of these insects impact the environment. Mosquitoes feed on nectar and plant juices. Unlike bed bugs, ticks, and fleas, mosquitoes do not need blood to survive. Why do mosquitoes bite humans if they don't need blood to survive? It may surprise you that only female mosquitoes have a proboscis, the needle-like structure on their heads, strong enough to penetrate the skin. Males have the same appendage, but it cannot penetrate the skin of humans or animals. When female mosquitoes need to produce eggs, they feed on human and animal blood to get the protein, iron, amino acids, and other nutrients necessary for egg production. 

When mosquitoes land on flowers to extract the juices using their proboscis, pollen sticks to their legs which is then transferred from one flower to another as they feed. The transfer of pollen by mosquitoes from one plant to another fertilizes plants enabling them to produce seeds and reproduce. Some wild orchid species depend solely on mosquitoes for cross-pollination, but in most cases, mosquitoes are one of many insects that assist in pollination. 

Mosquitoes do not prey on other insects, arachnids, or mammals but are preyed upon at various stages by predators. Mosquito hawks (a type of dragonfly) eats mosquito eggs and larva. Giant tree frogs, spadefoot toads, and green tree frogs consume mosquito larvae while in the tadpole development stage. Gambusia, or mosquito fish, eat the larva of mosquitoes before it matures into the adult stage. Aquatic turtles and red-spotted newts also consume mosquito eggs and larvae. 

If the mosquitoes survive the egg, larval, and pupal stages and attain adulthood, they face another group of predators. The first group of flying mosquito eaters are birds. Nighthawks, Eastern bluebirds, downy woodpeckers, hummingbirds, and others scoop up airborne mosquitoes and eat them for dinner. However, the most famous flying mosquito eater is the bat. Although the amount of mosquitoes a bat eats at night is disputable, what is not debatable is that bats like to eat mosquitoes. 

Mosquitoes may pollinate flowers and serve as dinner for many aquatic and avian species, but that doesn't mean they are welcome on our Denton properties. If you want to get rid of mosquitoes in the yard, you need help from Adams Exterminating Company. Our highly-trained service technicians can identify mosquito attractants on your property and work with you to eliminate them.