MOSQUITOES
Mosquitoes are one of the most important groups of flies mainly because of their blood sucking abilities and associated disease transmission. There are 113 known species in the region. The most common species found are the house mosquitoes (Culex), bush mosquitoes (Aedes) and Malaria mosquitoes (Anopheles).
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in stagnant water bodies, which then hatch into larvae that feed on organic matter and algae. The larvae become pupa and then pupate into adults. It is the female of most mosquito species that requires a blood meal in order to produce eggs. When the female mosquito is feeding, her saliva is transferred into the host, and this is what often causes an itchy bump or rash. In the same way, pathogens are ingested and transmitted to new hosts making mosquitoes important vectors for the spread of Malaria, Yellow Fever, Chikungunya, West Nile, Dengue Fever, Zika and other arboviruses. An adult mosquito can live as little as a week or as long as several months which may include a winter diapause. Under ideal conditions their life cycle may be completed in as little as four days, but typically takes two weeks to complete; under less ideal conditions it may take a month.
How serious is a mosquito problem?
Mosquitoes feeding can cause itching and in some cases severe rashes. Pathogens are also ingested and transmitted to new hosts making mosquitoes important vectors for the spread of Malaria, Yellow Fever, Chikungunya, West Nile, Dengue Fever, Zika and other arboviruses. It is estimated that over 700 000 people are killed annually because of mosquito borne diseases and perhaps almost half the number of people that have ever lived have been killed in this manner!
What are the signs of a mosquito problem?
Excessive mosquito bites on your skin, noticing many mosquitoes flying about inside your home or a prevalence of the high pitched whine of mosquitoes flying about at night, are all signs that there is a mosquito problem.
What we will do
We offer internal residual sprays and mosquito net treatments for prolonged mosquito control measures. The treatment residual activity lasts three months. This is an odourless residual spray treatment on all the internal walls of your home. Please note that is does not stop mosquitoes from flying inside, nor does it stop them from biting you; it works by killing the females before they are able to lay eggs post blood-meal. This is because they have to rest and digest half the blood meal after feeding, and this is where the control happens – reducing life cycles of mosquitoes overall. You should still utilize repellents, nets and use aerosol sprays for spatial treatments for best protection. We can also treat stagnant water bodies with larvicides to attack other stages of their life cycle; this is highly recommended and can be done in water bodies containing fish or even in drinking water.