Only female mosquitoes feed on blood.
The climate and geography of Wisconsin make for an ideal insect breeding ground, including many species of mosquito. High levels of precipitation and extreme temperature fluctuation leave a window of 80 to 180 days, dependent on county, for mosquitoes to complete their life cycles, just enough to plague area inhabitants during the brief respite from bitter winter.
The Mosquito
Mosquitoes are insects that are born of stagnant water, protected and undisturbed areas like pools, creeks, puddles, birdbaths and water collected in waste items such as tires left outdoors. Some mosquito eggs are laid in wet soil and survive there until a flood or overflow washes over them, causing the eggs to hatch. Eggs typically hatch within 48 hours and the larvae develop for up to two weeks before becoming adults.
Mosquito Habitat
Mosquitoes thrive anywhere there is standing water. Therefore, mosquitoes can exist almost everywhere. There are many types of mosquitoes, with 58 different species in Wisconsin alone, two of which are identified as malaria carriers. However, according to the findings of the University of Wisconsin Entomology Department, all 58 of these species are common throughout North America, though not necessarily in every state. So for Wisconsin to possess all 58 species proves the state to be an optimal mosquito habitat.
Wisconsin as Habitat
Wisconsin has 11,187 square miles of water area, compared to its 54,310 square miles of land area, meaning that approximately 21 percent of Wisconsin is water. Compare this to Alaska, which has the highest water area of 91,316 square miles, and the highest land area of almost 572,000 square miles, which only equates to 16 percent of Alaska as water. Boasting 15,000 lakes, marshes and many waterways, Wisconsin offers the mosquito plenty of habitats.
Wisconsin Climate
The climate in Wisconsin varies greatly from season to season. Winter features below zero temperatures and heavy snow from November to March, which gives way to flooding from melted snow and spring rains through April. Summer is hot, often reaching highs in the 90's, and high levels of humidity. These factors influence the high number of mosquitoes present in Wisconsin.
Tags: square miles, land area, water area