a strange question
 

The last couple of years I have found mosquitoes in my house in the dead of
winter (like, it's January in western New York, the temperature is hovering
around 5 degrees, and I find the occasional mosquito flying around the
house). We don't generally get mosquitoes in the house in the summer, when
there are relatively lots of them around, and I can't imagine how we can
have them now. They never have blood in them, so I don't think we are being
bitten, but there they are.

Do mosquitoes ever breed indoors? It would seem impossible, since laying
eggs requires blood, and if they were breeding, we would have been bitten.
I'm thinking that they could be using the trap in our shower, which we
rarely use (we have two bathrooms and one is enough for two people), but it
doesn't seem reasonable. They could be hibernating in the attic, I
suppose--it is very warm right next to the ceiling under 12" of insulation.
But it would be hard for them to get into the house from there.

I have never seen this phenomenon before the last couple of years--does this
happen to other people?

a strange question
 

donald girod wrote:

The last couple of years I have found mosquitoes in my house in the dead of
winter (like, it's January in western New York, the temperature is hovering
around 5 degrees, and I find the occasional mosquito flying around the
house). We don't generally get mosquitoes in the house in the summer, when
there are relatively lots of them around, and I can't imagine how we can
have them now. They never have blood in them, so I don't think we are being
bitten, but there they are.

Do mosquitoes ever breed indoors?..........

Try asking this question in sci.bio.entomology.misc and/or
alt.consumers.pest-control. You might get a better response.

8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~

"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson
*************************************************
http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
http://www.intergnat.com/malebashing/

a strange question
 

In article , "donald girod"
wrote:

The last couple of years I have found mosquitoes in my house in the dead of
winter (like, it's January in western New York, the temperature is hovering
around 5 degrees, and I find the occasional mosquito flying around the
house). We don't generally get mosquitoes in the house in the summer, when
there are relatively lots of them around, and I can't imagine how we can
have them now. They never have blood in them, so I don't think we are being
bitten, but there they are.

Do mosquitoes ever breed indoors? It would seem impossible, since laying
eggs requires blood, and if they were breeding, we would have been bitten.
I'm thinking that they could be using the trap in our shower, which we
rarely use (we have two bathrooms and one is enough for two people), but it
doesn't seem reasonable. They could be hibernating in the attic, I
suppose--it is very warm right next to the ceiling under 12" of insulation.
But it would be hard for them to get into the house from there.

I have never seen this phenomenon before the last couple of years--does this
happen to other people?

They cannot breed indoors unless you have some really lovely large
aquariums without any fish in them, or some swamp water kept permanently
in the otherwise unused bathtub.

But what you describe is VERY common. Ms. Science sez this is why:

Female mosquitos usually live extremely short lives, but in some
circumstances will live up to eight months if that's what it takes to
complete achieve their purpose in life, to lay eggs for the next
generation. Those which turned from wrigglers into adults too late in the
season to lay their own eggs will go into hibernation, coming to life in
spring to lay eggs (in the nearest pond or puddle) before they die. You've
very likely brought hibernating mosquitos into the house on something,
typically that would be on firewood. Or they were hibernating in the walls
(accessed from under eaves), then on some day when the sun combines with
room temperatures to heat the walls, they awake & head for the source of
heat, which in the winter would lead it to any crack or opening into the
house (it being too cold outside to leave by the eaves).

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

a strange question
 

On Sat, 14 Feb 2004 19:17:56 -0500, "donald girod"
wrote:

The last couple of years I have found mosquitoes in my house in the dead of
winter (like, it's January in western New York, the temperature is hovering
around 5 degrees, and I find the occasional mosquito flying around the
house). We don't generally get mosquitoes in the house in the summer, when
there are relatively lots of them around, and I can't imagine how we can
have them now. They never have blood in them, so I don't think we are being
bitten, but there they are.

Do mosquitoes ever breed indoors? It would seem impossible, since laying
eggs requires blood, and if they were breeding, we would have been bitten.
I'm thinking that they could be using the trap in our shower, which we
rarely use (we have two bathrooms and one is enough for two people), but it
doesn't seem reasonable. They could be hibernating in the attic, I
suppose--it is very warm right next to the ceiling under 12" of insulation.
But it would be hard for them to get into the house from there.

I have never seen this phenomenon before the last couple of years--does this
happen to other people?

Do you have aquarium fish that you feed live foods? Mosquito larvae
are one live food that is fed to aquarium fish. If you did feed
mosquito larvae, could be some managed to survive and hatch.

Mosquitos breed in calm waters wherever they find it. The ones that
were most responsible for spreading West Nile Virus were breeding in
any dab of water they could find, tires, buckets, discarded cans,
whatever little pool they can find, and they tended to lay fewer eggs
in those small bits and dabs of water.

Do have any plant cuttings growing in water around the house? Or
trays or some standing water in trays or water in trays with rocks for
plants to rest on so that the water evaporates to increase the
humidity, and accidentally increasing the mosquito population.

The more likely means would just be bringing in hibernating
mosquitoes into the house from outbuildings. I recall when I was a
kid, when we brought in christmas decorations from a shed, a big ol'
blowfly emerged from the newspaper around the bulbs. It may be
possible that mosquitoes may do the same.

You could ask at your local county extension agency, and even your
local mosquito abatement office, should you have such in your
location.

Janice

a strange question
 

"donald girod" wrote in
:

The last couple of years I have found mosquitoes in my house in the
dead of winter (like, it's January in western New York, the
temperature is hovering around 5 degrees, and I find the occasional
mosquito flying around the house). We don't generally get mosquitoes
in the house in the summer, when there are relatively lots of them
around, and I can't imagine how we can have them now. They never have
blood in them, so I don't think we are being bitten, but there they
are.

Do mosquitoes ever breed indoors? It would seem impossible, since
laying eggs requires blood, and if they were breeding, we would have
been bitten. I'm thinking that they could be using the trap in our
shower, which we rarely use (we have two bathrooms and one is enough
for two people), but it doesn't seem reasonable. They could be
hibernating in the attic, I suppose--it is very warm right next to the
ceiling under 12" of insulation. But it would be hard for them to get
into the house from there.

I have never seen this phenomenon before the last couple of
years--does this happen to other people?



are you quite sure they are mosquitoes and not some other small annoying
insect?

but yeah, you might have better luck with in the groups somebody else
suggested

a strange question
 

Nah, leave it to rec.gardens to come up with a good answer (see some of
them). It is surely hibernating mosquitos coming in on the firewood along
with the ladybugs, snakeskins, mouse droppings and other things I have not
yet identified. Ever since I built a woodshed a couple of years ago I have
been providing habitat to many little creatures. Clearly that shed is way
better for them than a freestanding woodpile.

I just didn't want to believe that they were breeding in the shower trap.
Yuk. We don't have any other slimy water in the house.


"Suzie-Q" wrote in message
...
donald girod wrote:

The last couple of years I have found mosquitoes in my house in the dead
of
winter (like, it's January in western New York, the temperature is
hovering
around 5 degrees, and I find the occasional mosquito flying around the
house). We don't generally get mosquitoes in the house in the summer,
when
there are relatively lots of them around, and I can't imagine how we can
have them now. They never have blood in them, so I don't think we are
being
bitten, but there they are.

Do mosquitoes ever breed indoors?..........

Try asking this question in sci.bio.entomology.misc and/or
alt.consumers.pest-control. You might get a better response.

8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~

"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson
*************************************************
http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
http://www.intergnat.com/malebashing/

a strange question
 

donald girod wrote:

...I just didn't want to believe that they were breeding in the shower trap.
Yuk. We don't have any other slimy water in the house...




I suspect that's unlikely (assuming someone in your house takes showers
occasionally). Mosquito larvae live on organic material in the water
(such as algae), so since the water in your shower trap is changed
regularly, the organic material is flushed out (and probably also the
larvae).

Of course, it's possible that if you get really dirty and take a really
quick shower, the trap would have enough organic material to support the
larvae.