Insects That Eat Mosquitoes
What eats mosquitoes? The good news to that question is that there are lots of creatures that consider mosquitoes lunch or dinner. Plenty of insect species prey on mosquitoes, reducing their populations, which is why it might be beneficial to attract these predators to your property.
Vampire Spiders
Do spiders eat mosquitoes? Yes, they do. Creepy-crawly spiders are not technically insects, but they interact with insects (like blood-sucking mosquitoes) often.
Spiders that devour female mosquitoes, which feed on human blood, are named “vampire spiders.” Vampire spider mouths are too small to bite humans; therefore, they have to chow down on female mosquitoes to get their blood fix.
Vampire spiders come from Malaysia and East Africa. Some researchers want to introduce these spiders to areas dominated by mosquitoes to help with pest control. Now, all people have to do is get over their fear of spiders!
Dragonflies
Dragonflies hunt and consume larvae and adult mosquitoes. If you have dragonflies (aka “mosquito hawks”) nearby, they can lower the number of mosquitoes buzzing around your property.
Damselflies
Damselflies are similar to dragonflies but have some distinct features. Usually, damselflies are smaller and thinner than dragonflies. They have longer, thinner abdomens as well, and when perched, they fold their wings (dragonfly wings stay open). Like dragonflies, damselflies hunt mosquitoes and can impact or limit the size of mosquito populations.
Predacious Mosquitoes
What is a predacious mosquito? Believe it or not, some mosquitoes go after other mosquitoes. These insects — larger than the average mosquito — are from Australia. They mainly eat honeydew, fruit, nectar and sap — but they will also target disease-carrying mosquitoes.
Some experts want to introduce predacious mosquitoes to areas where mosquito-borne diseases (dengue fever, malaria and more) are prevalent. The hope is predacious mosquitoes will reduce the number of mosquitoes dangerous to humans.
How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes
If you prefer natural mosquito-control methods, you can introduce insects (plus vampire spiders) that hunt and eat mosquitoes to your property. The only downside is that the local environment has to be conducive for these creatures to thrive.
MosquitoNix® has other safe mosquito-control options — including green, eco-friendly and non-toxic mosquito control — for you to use as well. Give us a call today to figure out the best options to keep you and your family safe from biting mosquitoes.
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