Mosquitoes can be found almost anywhere in the world except the two poles. With their characteristics buzz, these insects are known for causing malaria and other diseases. But, most people don’t know how high they can fly. So, can mosquitoes reach high floors?
Mosquitoes can reach high floors. While most species don’t like to fly above 25 feet, they can fly higher and cover long distances. They locate humans easily. However, you can deal with mosquitoes by removing or treating any stagnant water, using repellants, trimming greenery, and blocking gaps.
With mosquitoes, it’s important to act fast as they breed very fast and won’t die out. Here, we discuss how high mosquitoes can go and ways to deal with them.
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How High Can Mosquitoes Fly?
Mosquitoes can fly very high, depending on their species. But most species that bite humans prefer not to fly above 25 feet. They prefer to fly close to the ground since humans are on the ground too. However, you can still find them breeding at higher levels, including high-rise apartments, overhead tanks with stagnant water, tree holes up to 50 feet high, etc. There seems to be no limit to how high or low they can go. Mosquitoes have been found breeding as high as 8000+ feet up the Himalayas and 2000 feet below ground level deep inside mines. Once mosquitoes fly to a certain level and breed there, they can spread to higher levels, just like other pests. So, they can reach the highest floors with time.
How Far Can Mosquitoes Fly
These insects love a good breeding zone, and they can find this on any floor, including the high floors. Once they’ve identified breeding are on any level, they usually hang around the location, not going beyond 50 to 100 meters. However, this doesn’t mean they can’t go far. The species usually determines how far they can fly in search of food. The saltmarsh breeders travel as far as 150 kilometers. It’s also possible for them to be caught in winds high above the ground, carrying them for long distances.
How Do Mosquitoes Locate Humans?
Have you ever heard the buzzing sound of mosquitoes in that dark? That’s their wings vibrating at a speed of around 300 – 600 times per second. But you might also wonder how they can find you even in the dark. They have receptors that can detect released carbon dioxide from 50 – 75 feet. Since humans exhale carbon dioxide, mosquitoes can easily find us even in the dark. Beyond that, these insects can smell human sweat as the skin releases a chemical called octenol, which attracts mosquitoes and draws them to you. Perfumes and lotions scents are also easy to pick up for these insects. Mosquitoes also have heat sensors, making it easier to detect heat. This explains why they’re attracted to darker clothing because dark clothes can retain more heat.
How To Deal with Mosquitoes
A mosquito problem is a serious problem due to the irritation and health hazards these insects can cause. So, it’s crucial to eradicate them as fast and soon as possible. Here are ways to deal with mosquitoes:
1. Remove Any Stagnant Water
Stagnant water is ground zero for breeding mosquitoes, and no matter where it is, mosquitoes will find and breed there. It’s not until the water is up to a cup before mosquitoes can start procreating in it. Even a water pool that’s only one inch thick can be a breeding ground. So you need to remove any pool of water in your home. Don’t restrict yourself to only the common areas. Check your fridge defrost tray, the saucers housing your flower pots, the vases, the air conditioner with clogged drain holes, and just anywhere water can collect over a period. Empty these water puddles to prevent mosquitoes from gathering there. If there’s any water body you can’t remove, you should add liquid soap to it. This’ll reduce the surface tension leading to the mosquito larva drowning as they won’t be able to reach the surface to breathe.
If you have a pond in your garden, this can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. You can deal with this by adding fish species that feed on mosquito larva. Gambusia and Guppy fishes can do this. However, you also need to ensure that algae and weeds aren’t present in the pond because the larva can hide here to escape any fish.
2. Use Repellants
There are several ways to prevent mosquitoes from entering your house or disturbing your sleep. One of them is to use mosquito repelling incense. This could be in the form of mosquito coils made from pyrethrum. This natural insecticide comes from the dried flower heads of Chrysanthemum coccineum and Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium. You can use other repellants from chemicals, oils, de-odorized kerosene, allethrin compounds, etc. It’s not advisable to use the liquid vaporizing repellants as they can harm humans. But if you have to use them, make sure you use them safely and only after observing necessary precautions.
3. Trim Your Greenery and Spray Soapy Water on Vegetation
Mosquitos also feed on plant juices and flower nectar. So you’ll find them in bushes, flowery plants, and shrubs. This is especially common during the daytime when they’re trying to avoid predators that feed on them. So, if you have dense vegetation around your house, you should trim it. But if you can’t, you can spray it with soapy water.
4. Block All Possible Entrance
Mosquitoes can easily enter the house as long as there’s a gap. Whether it’s tiny space in the windows, door screens, exhaust vents, etc., they can easily come in. The garage is also one of their favorite resting spots, so you want to make sure they don’t get into your home through that.
Lifespan of Mosquitoes
Contrary to the belief that mosquitoes don’t live long, some female species can live for between 5 and 6 months. The male only lives for around ten days, but most adult females live for between 2 and 3 weeks. Given that the female reproduces and bites to spread diseases, it takes concerted efforts to prevent a mosquito infestation. You can’t just wait for them to all die off. Mosquitoes lay eggs every three days and can lay as many as 300 eggs once. So, they can easily multiply if you don’t try to stop them.
In Conclusion
Mosquitoes are annoying creatures, and they can fly high. This means they can reach higher floors and populate it if you don’t do anything to stop them. Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do to stop them.
