Mosquito Springtime Habitats

This winter was an epic season of more pow days than you thought possible—especially after the previously dry winter of 2021-2022. With a large snow pack up high and snow still in the valley, there’s bound to be quite a bit of springtime mosquito habitat. Here’s our guide to the different types of mosquito habitat you’ll come across soon.

Mosquito's Life Cycle

In order to understand where you might find mosquitoes in Teton County (their habitat), first you need to understand their life cycle. 

Mosquitoes have four life stages: egg, larvae, pupae, and adult.

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1. Eggs: Adult female mosquitoes lay their eggs either in standing water or in an area that is likely to have standing water in the future. 
2. Larvae: The eggs hatch in standing water and out emerges the larva. Larvae live in the water and feed on microorganisms around them. 
3. Pupae: After a larva molts three times it becomes a pupa. Pupae float at the surface where the metamorphosis of the mosquito into an adult takes place. 
4. Adults: The adult mosquito splits the pupal case, emerges out of it, and rests on the surface of the water until it is ready to fly. Female mosquitoes need a blood meal to reproduce—thus chasing after warm or cold-blooded animals to feed on.

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Now you know why standing water is so important for mosquitoes. 

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Teton County’s Springtime Mosquito Habitat

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Mosquito habitat often comes down to the specific species of mosquito. 

Some mosquito species prefer ephemeral habitats, such as pooling snowmelt, others require permanent water sources like grassy shallow pond edges. In the spring, our two biggest sources of springtime mosquito habitat are:

• Snowmelt pools 
• Standing water that springs up from the ground as the water table rises from the melting snowpack. 

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Here are a few examples of springtime mosquito habitat:

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• Marshy areas that recently had snow
• Low lying places at the bottom of a mountain or hill
• An area where snow blows and stays
• Ditches
• Areas near the river or creeks where runoff is common
• Tree holes

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In spring when temperatures are cooler, mosquito larvae take longer to develop into adults. Therefore, springtime temporary pools are only suitable if they persist for the duration of larval development. Considering that water evaporates quickly during dry time periods in Teton County, and that mosquito development is slower, temporary pools generally need to last for at least two weeks this time of year.

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Look Around Your Property for Springtime Mosquito Habitat

If you think mosquitoes are breeding on your property, take a quick walk around. 

Do you have standing water? 

Is that water at least two inches deep? 

Is that water likely to remain for 1 – 2 weeks? 

If the answer to all these questions is yes, you may want to reach out to us.  

Requesting mosquito surveillance can be done quickly by filling out the Request Surveillance form on our website. You can also call the office at 307-733-8419. If you have not filled out a permission form, please take a moment to submit one through our website so we can conduct surveillance and provide treatment as needed.