One of the best ways to effectively deal with pests is to learn more about them. In the case of mosquitoes, learning how fast a mosquito can fly, how fast mosquitoes multiply, and what mosquito larvae look like can help you figure out ways to effectively keep these buzzing, blood-sucking pests from ruining your outdoor fun.

Mosquitoes sometimes seem impossible to swat. They tend to be there one moment and gone the next. So how fast are mosquitoes? You may be surprised to learn that mosquitoes aren’t super speedy insects. They fly at about 1.5 miles per hour. They’re slower than other flying insects like flies and bees. Unfortunately, they’re still fast enough to make swatting at them an exercise in frustration.

Though you might not appreciate it while swatting and slapping at mosquitoes, their wings are pretty amazing. Mosquitoes can flap their wings up to 800 times per second. So, if they flap their wings so rapidly, why aren’t they faster?

A lot of that lightning-speed flapping is not for propulsion but for communication. A study conducted by Johns Hopkins University found that when male mosquitoes fly, they emit a low-frequency sound; when female mosquitoes fly, they create a high-frequency noise. This is how they find each other via their antennae, which pick up the sound vibrations. The communication eventually leads to a lot of mosquito eggs. The question of how fast mosquito wings flap is related to how they communicate and breed—it’s all connected.

To get rid of mosquitoes, you need to understand their life cycle. How fast do mosquitoes multiply? The answer is: It varies.

Here’s the mosquito life cycle, from eggs to mosquito larvae to adult mosquitoes:

Being able to identify mosquito larvae can help in your efforts to control mosquitoes in your yard. So, what do mosquito larvae look like? They look like tiny, ¼-inch, hairy worms squiggling in the water they hatched in. They’ll often be near the surface of the water and will dive down deeper if the water is disturbed.

This is one of the easiest stages of mosquito development to control. If you eliminate the water they need to survive; you’ll stop the life cycle before the mosquitoes can grow to adulthood.

If you’re wondering how to kill mosquito larvae, there are several things to try, including:

For a solution that will protect every area of your yard, consider 247 Local Pest Control mosquito-repelling barrier sprays, where our certified technicians will work to eliminate mosquitoes at every stage of their life cycle.

Understanding the mosquito and its life cycle can help you battle this pest effectively, which will allow you to enjoy the outdoors more often during warmer weather. However, keeping up the fight can sometimes be an overwhelming task, especially if you have a large area to cover with a lot of plants and shrubs. If you need expert help to take back your outdoor fun, contact your local 247 Local Pest Control. We can help you win the battle with perimeter pest control, gnat control, and natural barrier treatments that can help keep pests away for up to 30 days. Call (833) 220-1001 or request a quote online today.