Ahhh, it's winter already, why are there still so many mosquitoes recently? !

Recently, I wonder if friends in other parts of the north have the same troubles——

Image source: a social platform

Who would have thought that in November, winter has already begun, mosquitoes are still everywhere, and I can kill three or four of them in one night. I really want to ask: why are there so many mosquitoes recently even though it's winter?

Mosquitoes, you may not understand

Although they are already "old neighbors", you may not be very familiar with mosquitoes.

There are more than 3,570 species of mosquitoes found in the world, and 420 species have been found in China, including Aedes albopictus, Culex pipiens, Anopheles anthropophagus, etc. The mosquitoes that bite people are female mosquitoes, while male mosquitoes do not suck blood , they only feed on plant sap.

Most species of adult mosquitoes can adapt to an environment of 15℃ ~ 35℃, and are generally most active at 25℃ ~ 30℃. However, if the temperature is below 10℃, their activity will drop significantly and the corresponding female mosquitoes will stop eating.

In temperate regions like Beijing, almost no insects can survive low temperatures, so insects start preparing for winter in autumn. Different types of mosquitoes choose different ways to overwinter, including eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults. We generally cannot see the first three forms of mosquitoes that overwinter, because they hide in water or moist soil. As for the mosquitoes that harass us in winter, they are the mosquitoes that overwinter in adult form.

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Mosquitoes that hibernate as adults will look for a hidden, wind-proof, and relatively warm place. In the wild, this is usually a tree hole, cave, rock crevices, under fallen leaves, etc. In the human environment, places behind furniture and electrical appliances, sewers, vents, and pipes are all "good choices." However, when they enter the hibernation state, they only rely on the nutrients stored in their bodies and do not suck blood.

Why are there still mosquitoes active in November?

One of the main reasons why mosquitoes have become more active is climate change. Whether it is global warming or the urban heat island effect in recent years, the temperature in super cities like Beijing has been rising year by year.

According to the Central Meteorological Observatory, the temperature in most parts of my country will be higher than usual from the 11th to the 15th. In particular, the temperature in many places in central and eastern China will be 6~10℃ higher than the same period of previous years, and in some places it will even be more than 10℃ higher.

As animals with strong adaptability, mosquitoes are also adapting to the environment they live in: although the temperature has dropped, it is not that low, so many adult mosquitoes will choose to postpone or not enter the winter state, continue to eat and remain active . Especially since northern cities generally have heating, the indoor temperature will reach about 20℃ or higher, which will make the dormant mosquitoes think that "winter is over and spring is here", and continue to suck your blood.

At the same time, the ability of some mosquitoes to resist freezing may also be increasing . In addition, with the increasing frequency of international exchanges, some foreign mosquitoes are beginning to spread to more and more places.

For example, the now very common "flower mosquito" Aedes albopictus originally lived in Southeast Asia and came to my country with imported goods. At first, they lived in southern regions such as Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan, but as the temperature in the south has been rising in recent years, Aedes albopictus has begun to expand to the north in order to "avoid the heat", and now it has become one of the most common mosquitoes in Beijing. As a mosquito brought by heat, as long as the temperature is right, it will keep biting you, leaving you with lumps all over your body.

How to avoid being harassed by mosquitoes?

To reduce mosquito harassment, you can try the following methods in your daily life:

1. Try to keep the room clean and reduce dead corners in the room. Mosquitoes do not like clean and tidy environments. Even if they come to your home, they will be discovered and killed because they have nowhere to hide.

2. Check whether the doors, windows and walls are intact and whether there are any gaps or holes. If there are any, repair them in time. Holes such as air conditioning holes can be blocked with sealing putty and other materials. The exhaust ports of range hoods, gas water heaters and exhaust fans can be sealed with one-way check valves. When opening and closing doors and windows, pay attention to prevent mosquitoes from flying in and keep them out of the room.

3. Keep the room as dry as possible and clean up stagnant water in fish tanks, flower pots, and sinks in time to avoid them becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

4. Regularly add detergent or flush the kitchen and toilet drains with boiling water to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in backwater bends and sewers.

5. If mosquitoes have been found in the room, you can use mosquito coils, insecticides and other methods to kill them . If the number is particularly large, you can also use smoke insecticides to kill the whole house. If you have a sensitive constitution and are not adapted to insecticides, you can also use ultraviolet insecticidal lamps to lure and kill mosquitoes.

6. There are too many mosquitoes and you can never kill them all. It has reached the point where you can’t handle it yourself. You need to contact a professional pest control service unit to handle it.

Notice!!!

The recent increase in dengue fever infections is also related to the fact that the climate is conducive to the reproduction of mosquitoes. Mosquito prevention and control is the simplest and most effective way to prevent dengue fever. Once you have dengue fever, it is not recommended to use ibuprofen, which may make the condition worse!

Planning and production

Author: Erzhu Popular Science Creator

Review丨Cai Wanzhi, Professor of China Agricultural University

Liu Weiwei, Associate Researcher, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Planning丨Yang Yaping

Editor: Yang Yaping

Proofread by Xu Lai and Lin Lin