As January transitions to February, few of us are thinking about mosquitoes and the multitude of problems they can cause when spring arrives. But with January rain totals well above normal across the Southeast, it is a good time to take inventory of where standing water is holding and what can be done to eliminate it.
All mosquitoes require standing water for their larval and pupal stages to develop. As a result, any standing water that can be eliminated now is one less site where pest populations can develop when temperatures warm in the coming weeks.
Georgia is home to at least 63 species of mosquitoes, a significant number for one state. The many mosquitoes are due largely to the wide range of habitats across the state, from mountains in the north to marshes and swamps in the south.
In the central and northern areas of the state, most mosquito populations will not become active until the warmer days of late February and March. In the more southern and coastal regions, some mosquito activity can occur nearly year-round, although the December 2022 freeze surely inhibited mosquito activity across the entire region.
However, mosquitoes are highly adaptive and one cold snap will do little to impact populations later this spring. Most mosquitoes overwinter as eggs that will not hatch until warmer temperatures, increased daylight and appropriate wetting conditions are present. Some mosquitoes overwinter as adults and spend the colder days of winter hiding in protected areas like catch basins, storm drains, culverts, barns and sheds.
No matter how they overwinter, everyone can take precautions during the winter to help prevent pest populations later in the spring. Take notice of what items and areas may collect standing water and try to eliminate the site. Source reduction — the elimination of standing water — is one of the key premises of an integrated pest management approach to mosquito control, along with education and…
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