Where Do Mosquitoes Go In The Winter?

Mosquitoes are probably the most annoying insects that show up during the warm months. Thankfully, people who live in temperate regions that experience seasonal changes only have to put up with them for the warmer months. When it gets cold, the mosquitoes disappear as quickly as they arrived! Curiously, they still show up again each year without fail. Today, we are going to learn: Where do mosquitoes go in the winter? The answer is pretty surprising!

Where do mosquitoes go in the winter?

Although it may feel like it, mosquitoes don’t just spawn out of thin air when the weather gets warm. When temperatures start to dip, mosquitoes have a biological clock that starts ticking. In order to survive the winter, mosquitoes lay eggs in frozen water and go themselves go dormant during the coldest seasons. Let’s talk about both of these adaptations and how they work.

One of the best strategies that mosquitoes use to get through the winter is achieved via their eggs. When the weather starts cooling, female mosquitoes will begin laying their eggs in mud or in pools of water that could potentially freeze. Usually, mosquito eggs hatch within two days, and the larvae are fully grown within another ten days. When the temperature is cooler, however, the eggs never hatch and enter a state of dormancy. The eggs will remain dormant until the temperature begins to clear 50 degrees F for a few days, at which point the process will begin again.

When the weather gets cold, it’s not just the eggs that survive, but many of the mothers, too. After laying eggs, female mosquitoes will find a warm place (usually near water) to settle down for the winter. Preferred locations include inside homes, trees, logs, moss, and more. Once a location is found, the females enter a state known as diapause. Diapause is a form of dormancy that shuts down nearly every process of the insect, allowing them to wait out the cold weather when there aren’t any resources available. Once the weather begins to warm up again, the female mosquitoes will leave diapause and continue as they normally would.

Do mosquitoes usually die during the winter?

Mosquitoes aren’t known for living long lives. When it comes to male mosquitoes, the total adult lifespan is usually only 10 days. After that, the male usually dies off as a complication of the mating practice. Females, however, will live for months at a time. Still, the winter months are tough for small insects, and it’s very likely that female mosquitoes can die even if they’ve found a spot to enter diapause.

The best way to survive through the winter as a mosquito is to be an egg!

When do mosquitoes go away for winter?

The exact time that mosquitoes head into hibernation for the winter will depend on the location because it’s temperature dependent. In the north, it’s going to be a bit sooner than places in the south. Still, there are some things that are the same no matter where you live.

Mosquitoes don’t usually leave until after the first big dip under 30 degrees F, followed by a few days of 50 degrees F. Once this chain of events occurs, most mosquitoes have a biological trigger than sends the females to lay the last of their eggs for the season and to try and find somewhere warm to spend the winter.

In the United States, these fall temperatures vary by each state. The best way to tell when mosquitoes will be gone is by looking at the temperate record. If you haven’t had a solid cold day yet, odds are that mosquitoes are still hanging around outside.

Do mosquitoes bite in the winter?

Thankfully, most states in North America are safe from mosquitoes during the winter. Once the weather dips below 50 degrees F for a few days, mosquitoes either die off or spend the rest of the cold months in a state similar to hibernation. Once things warm back up again, mosquito eggs and females that were previously dormant will begin waking up, starting the process all over. During the time they are dormant, humans don’t have to worry about being bit.

Up Next:

• How Many Mosquitoes Are In The World?
• No See Ums vs Mosquito: Key Differences Explained
• Mosquito Predators: What Eats Mosquitoes?

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/panom