How to Provide a Mosquito Egg-Laying Site

Mosquitoes need access to still water to multiply. The females lay eggs in water and the eggs can hatch within a week, depending on the species. Mosquitoes are more likely to lay eggs in still, standing water than in a pond or a lake. The animal aquatic life in larger bodies of water feed on mosquito larvae, reducing the population. Swamps, however, are good habitats for breeding mosquitoes, but any container that holds water attracts female mosquitoes that need to lay eggs.

Leak-proof container
Hose or watering can

Instructions

- 1
  Find leak-proof containers. Containers with a wide surface area provide more space for mosquitoes to deposit their eggs than narrow, deep containers. Outdoor bird baths, buckets and children's wading pools are ideal places for mosquitoes to breed, as long as the water does not circulate.
- 2
  Place the containers outdoors and fill with enough water to last at least a week. If you have to refill the container, slowly add water with a hose or watering can. Mosquito larvae thrive in still conditions.
- 3
  Provide a source of animal blood for the females, whose eggs need blood to become viable. Females only bite before laying a batch of eggs. Male mosquitoes do not bite animals at all. Both genders suck nectar from vegetation for their nutritional and energy needs. Likely animals to provide blood include birds, pets, humans or any farm animals.
- 4
  Contact the health department of the city or town in which you live to find out when and where they plan to spray for mosquitoes. Ask them what they use and how long the insecticide lasts. Cover any containers you have outdoors and remove the cover once the fogging program has been completed. Health departments are likely to ask that you not breed mosquitoes since these insects spread diseases and government agencies spend time and money eradicating them in urban areas.

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