How to get rid of mosquitoes in your house: first remove the mosquitoes and standing water, then repair your window screens and door screens.
Contact Total Screen to get mosquito screens installed on every window in your home.
In this guide we explain: where mosquitoes hide in the home, how to find the mosquito biting you at night, & indoor sources of standing water.
Even after you get rid of the mosquitoes in your house, more will return if your window screens or screen doors have gaps, so get mosquito screens from Total Screen today.
How To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes In Your House
When you see a mosquito indoors, do not dismiss it as a “visitor” that is passing through.
Adult mosquitoes live indoors as well as outdoors, according to the CDC.[2]
An adult mosquito lives about 2 to 4 weeks, which means that waiting one out is not an option.[2]
An adult mosquito lives 2 to 4 weeks, indoors or outdoors.
A mosquito in your home can also start laying eggs indoors, according to the CDC.[1]
How to get rid of mosquitoes in your house is a two-step process: the first step is removing the mosquitoes, and emptying the water in which they breed.[1]
Where Mosquitoes Hide In The Home
Mosquitoes in a house seek out dark, humid places to hide.[1]
The CDC names under sinks, in showers, in closets, under furniture, and in the laundry room.[1]
Mosquitoes lie still, low, and away from the light, in between their opportunities to bite.
A mosquito rests in the coolest, dampest, darkest corner of a room.
In other words, a mosquito is not likely to be circling your ceiling, waiting to be swatted.
The rooms to check first are the rooms that stay damp, which in most San Diego homes means the bathroom and the laundry room.[1]
Another place to check is any closet backing onto a bathroom wall, which holds the same still, humid air.
How To Find The Mosquito Biting You At Night
In San Diego, a mosquito that bites after dark is most likely a Culex.[3]
The CDC reports that Culex mosquitoes are most active from dusk to dawn.[3]
Our guide, When Do Mosquitoes Come Out In San Diego, covers which species flies at which hours.
A bite after dark is more likely a Culex than an Aedes.
Check the resting places listed above, starting with the bathroom, the laundry room, and the underside of the furniture.[1]
Use a flashlight, because the places a mosquito rests are the darkest places in the room.
If you are wondering what a mosquito bite can carry in San Diego, read our guide: Mosquito Illness In San Diego.
Indoor Sources Of Standing Water
Indoor sources of standing water are what turn one mosquito into many.[4]
The County of San Diego names vases, plant propagation containers, and “lucky bamboo” as indoor water to dump out weekly.[4]
House plant saucers get the same weekly treatment, and an indoor fountain should be kept running or left dry.[4]
Each of these holds standing water indoors, and each needs dumping out weekly.
Non-ornamental indoor water does not usually breed mosquitoes: the County of San Diego names pet bowls, drains, toilets, unfiltered aquariums, and dirty dishes.[4]
Dumping Standing Water Is Not Enough
Even after you dump out the water, mosquito eggs are still in the container.[5]
Aedes mosquitoes lay their eggs on the inner wall of a container, above the waterline.[5]
The CDC's wording is that “adult female mosquitoes lay eggs on the inner walls of containers with water, above the waterline.”[5]
Pouring the water out leaves the eggs on the inner wall, above the waterline.
Simply tipping water out of containers can still leave mosquito eggs stuck to the inside of those containers.
Mosquito eggs can survive in a drying-out state for up to 8 months, and will hatch once water covers them again.[5]
The CDC recommendation is to empty and scrub standing water containers, not simply empty them.[1]
Scrubbing the inner wall is what removes the mosquito eggs.[1]
Mosquito Screens Keep Mosquitoes Out
Once the mosquitoes in your house have been cleared out, the next step is keeping the outdoor ones from getting in.
Mosquitoes get into a home through open windows, open doors, and window screens with holes, tears, or bent frames.
The County of San Diego says to “make sure your doors and windows are screened so mosquitoes cannot get in,” with a fine mesh to stop the smallest Aedes mosquitoes.[4]
An intact screen lets the window stay open without letting anything in.
Check every window screen and door screen in your home for holes, tears, and bent frames.
A window screen only keeps insects out while the mesh is intact and the frame sits flush in the opening.
The last step in how to get rid of mosquitoes in your house is repairing the screens.
Total Screen makes mosquito screens sized to fit any window and screen door of a home.
Contact us to get mosquito screens for your property.
Get Your Window Screens Checked
If your goal is preventing mosquitoes from getting into your house, then reading this guide was a great first step.
Empty and scrub all indoor water vessels.
Check the mosquito resting places, and then inspect the window screens and door screens on your house.
A rescreen replaces the mesh and the spline, so the frame seals again.
If you need window screens or door screens to keep out mosquitoes, Total Screen offers repairs and rescreens across San Diego, with free on-site estimates.
Call Total Screen at (619) 871-7610 to schedule an estimate, often for the same day or the next day.
Or click here to fill out our 2-question contact-form, and we will get back to you right away.
Contact Total Screen today, and keep the mosquitoes outside your home.
Disclaimer: Total Screen is not a mosquito-control or public-health authority. This article is provided for informational purposes only, and is based on our online research of publicly available documents from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the County of San Diego, and the other sources listed below. To report a mosquito problem, or to ask about treatment inside or on your property, contact the County of San Diego's Vector Control Program.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Mosquito Control at Home (“Mosquitoes rest in dark, humid places like under sinks, in showers, in closets, under furniture, or in the laundry room”; “Mosquitoes entering your house from outdoors can start laying eggs indoors”; “empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out any items that hold water”). cdc.gov
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — About Mosquitoes (“Adult mosquitoes live for about 2 to 4 weeks”; “Adult mosquitoes live indoors and outdoors”). cdc.gov
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — About Culex Mosquitoes (“Adult Culex mosquitoes are most active from dusk to dawn”). cdc.gov
- County of San Diego, DEH Vector Control Program — Prevent Mosquitoes Indoors (“Dump out water kept in vases, plant propagation containers, lucky bamboo, or any other containers that can hold water weekly”; “Dump out any water in house plant saucers weekly”; “Keep indoor fountains running or leave them dry”; “Things like pet bowls, drains, toilets, un-filtered aquariums, and dirty dishes do not usually breed mosquitoes but can if they are left full of water for more than a week without being changed or drained”; “Make sure your doors and windows are screened so mosquitoes cannot get in”; “Fix any holes or openings and makes sure to use a fine mesh screen to keep these small mosquitoes out”). sandiegocounty.gov
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Life Cycle of Aedes Mosquitoes (“Adult female mosquitoes lay eggs on the inner walls of containers with water, above the waterline”; “Eggs can survive drying out for up to 8 months”; “Larvae hatch from mosquito eggs. This happens when water (from rain or a sprinkler) covers the eggs”). cdc.gov