Will Tonight’s Freeze Kill The Mosquitoes And Flies In Lubbock?
It's going to be cold in Lubbock and throughout Texas tonight as Lubbock and other parts of the state are expected to drop below freezing. The low in Lubbock Saturday morning is expected to be around 26 degrees before warming to a high in the 50's.
And while not everyone is a fan of cold temperatures, many people are pretty much fine with flies and mosquitoes going away for a few months. But does freezing weather really kill off mosquitoes?
The answer is actually a mixed bag. Why? Because mosquitoes are actually pretty adaptive and can handle colder weather for short periods of time. Why many mosquitoes and flies will be killed off by colder and freezing temperatures, others will hibernate or in the case of fly eggs, continue to live on according to DrKilligans.com
Bugs also have tolerances, though some can hibernate and come back when temperatures return to normal.
Flies do not take the cold well. When it gets super cold, adult flies die off. However, the eggs they have laid, if protected, can still grow through their stages, pupate, and survive the winter. Otherwise, there would be no new batch of flies when spring comes.
Mosquitoes are versatile. They can handle the cold extremely well. Some will die off, but many will hibernate. Some will hibernate as larvae at the bottom of the pool of water where their egg was laid. The egg will hatch in the fall, sink to the bottom of the pool, wait out the winter, and then hatch in the spring or summer.
The process repeats year after year. The cycle is never-ending, with a new generation of insects ready to invade your home.
So why all the flies and mosquitoes won't die off with this freeze, many of them could, and I'm okay with that.