The days are finally getting cooler again and the mosquitoes are disappearing. Unfortunately, it is not that easy, because even in winter you are not completely safe from the bloodsuckers. In particular, if an insect has found its way through your open window, it will find the best conditions to survive the winter unscathed. These and other mosquito survival strategies that you will find on this page will surely amaze you.
In winter there are only female mosquitoes, but they also bite
There is also a risk of stinging in winter
mosquito bites in winter? It's entirely possible. If a mosquito has gotten into your apartment, mosquito bites are almost more likely than in summer. Because at this time of the year, insects have a particularly high blood thirst. But why is that? Before the male mosquitoes die at the end of autumn, they mate with the females that survive the winter. As with all animals, the incubation phase is very strenuous. As a result, the females have an increased protein requirement, which they cover with human blood.
wintering strategies
Mosquito larvae and adults hibernate in different ways.
mosquito larvae
Before the onset of winter, the females lay their eggs in water, mud or puddles. Here the hatching larvae find safe protection from frost and cold. The prerequisite for this is that the nesting site does not freeze over. mild winters therefore favor a large population in the following summer. Most often, the larvae dive under the water surface. They take in the oxygen they need through a breathing tube that they build themselves.
adult animals
The adult females, on the other hand, look for frost-proof places such as:
- basement, cellar
- garages
- livestock stables
- but also apartments
Here they fall into a hibernation. Comparable to the hibernation of some mammals, they take in more food in late summer. In the transition to cold rigidity, they excrete bodily fluids so that the body cannot freeze to death even in the cold. Instead, they incorporate sugar into the metabolism, which serves as a natural antifreeze. Mosquitoes also belong to the cold-blooded animals. As the body temperature drops, organ activity decreases. This saves additional energy.
Survivalist winter mosquito
The winter mosquito has developed an even more effective hibernation strategy. If you look at the body of this mosquito species, you will notice that it is completely dark. The black color, which also affects the wings, serves a very specific purpose: dark colors absorb light. You know this effect because you sweat more in black clothes in summer than in a white T-shirt. Thus, mosquitoes absorb every single ray of sunshine to keep the body warm.
Did you know that the climatic conditions in winter do not determine the number of mosquitoes in summer. The conditions under which the brood hatches are relevant for a mosquito plague. Warm temperatures and a high rate of precipitation in spring and early summer cause the population to explode.