Fall is here! Cooler temperatures, football, and pumpkin spice everything. Heading outside on a sunny fall day should be an enjoyable experience. But for some, they are still experiencing some of the more annoying aspects of the summer, including mosquito bites. Why are some people still prone to getting bit when summer has been officially over for weeks? Let’s take a look at two primary reasons.

It’s Not Cold Enough Yet

The most straightforward reason mosquitos are still around in October is that it isn’t cold enough to kill them yet. Just as ticks become dormant when the temperatures drop to 40 degrees, mosquitos will remain a threat until 50 degrees. A hard frost consisting of several hours of sub-freezing temperatures is required to kill mosquito eggs effectively. So until it’s cool enough to see your breath at night, mosquitoes will be a threat. In an interesting switch, mosquitos are more active during the day in the fall instead of becoming more active at dusk and night during the summer.

Good Environmental Conditions

While most people rightly associate mosquitoes with hot and humid weather, they can thrive in the early fall. A rainy season means more opportunities for pools of standing water. Inattentive homeowners don’t clear out their gutters, which provide an excellent breeding ground for mosquitos. Other popular places where mosquitos can quickly breed –

Pools that are poorly closed with loose covers provide more breeding grounds.
Underneath leaky outdoor faucets.
Birdbaths, flower pots, wheelbarrows, etc.

One other favored place for mosquitos to breed? Leaf piles. The moisture and darkness are ideal for a female mosquito to lay down her nest and deposit her eggs.

Call East End Tick Control® for Year-Round Tick Prevention

East End Tick and Mosquito Control® is Eastern Suffolk County’s most-experienced pest control company. Since 1997, we have provided the Twin Forks and East End with the most effective extermination methods. Protect yourself and your family from disease-carrying ticks this fall and winter by requesting a free estimate now or call our Southampton office at (631) 287-9700, our East Hampton office at (631) 324-9700, or our Southold office at (631) 765-9700.