I just killed a mosquito

[Shannith]

Sitting down in my house, heard the tell-tale whine. Looked sideways and...actual mosquito.

Now an ex mosquito but? I know it's been raining and they like being near water but

1. I'm in the UK
2. It's October
3. I live on top of a hill with no standing water anywhere
4. And I feel most important, I live in Surrey not Sri Lanka (scene of an epic mosquito attack)

This time of year I am used to dealing with the big fucker house spiders.

Not mosquitos. Was it a lone wolf or has anyone else got them?

[Chasingsquirrels]

I seem to have them year round - Cambs, no nearby standing water. Just don't understand it.

[user1464552773]

We have loads. In the North West and not near any standing water. It is bizarre.

[Enrico]

Not mosquitoes but there are still far too many wasps around for my liking.

It's rained a lot alternating with warm weather. Mosquitoes like those kind of conditions. Do you have any empty plant pots that have been stood out in the rain or any garden toys or trampolines or whatever where rain could have collected in little puddles and not been absorbed so they laid their stupid eggs there?

[BewareTheBeardedDragon]

I had one on my bathroom wall - I find I tend to notice them in spring and autumn more than summer - no idea why. But I do have a tiny pond so they def have a breeding place near my house.

[user1464552773]

Enrico you just described our entire garden.

[BobbinThreadbare123]

We've got loads. I'm in Cumbria! I was hoping it'd get too cold for them faster than this!

[MargeProopsSpecs]

Apparently putting a copper coin or a bit of copper in any standing water gets rid of them.

[BewareTheBeardedDragon]

Just to note - in permanent water like a pond mosquito larvae apparently form quite an important food source for many other creatures so consider not dropping coppers into your ponds...

I don't like mosquitoes but they do have their place in the ecosystem. Insect repellent is quite effective!

[NannyAnnieKnitsKnickers]

I went to catch one mid-air the other day and was very shocked to have actually caught it and squished it

[Shannith]

Well consider my gaster flabbered.

To be fair my garden has about a thousand pots/toys/random bits where water could collect. Never seen one before though.

I can't stop scratching though and I don't think it got me.

[thedevilinablackdress]

Apparently there are around 20 species of mosquito in the UK. I looked it up after getting eaten alive earlier in the year 🙄

[appleandstrawberries]

I've killed 6 in my bedroom in the past two weeks - I low in bed and here them coming for me
Have stopped opening windows for now and seem to have stopped them
It's just not right !

[appleandstrawberries]

"Lie" even

[MoiraNotRuby]

I quite like getting visited by a mosquito... it makes me feel like I'm on holiday abroad. I still swat them obvs because I don't completely love them. But its just nice to pretend I'm not in shitty miserable UK now and then.

[TheVanguardSix]

I was pretty shocked a couple of days ago when I was cycling through a subway in Hammersmith (London) and saw loads of the feckers- and proper big American-sized ones (like the ones we had in California growing up). It had been a very humid, rainy day but still, I was wondering where they'd all come from. It was a bit of new one for me. I hadn't seen them that size over here before (and I've been here nearly 25 years). Our trick back home- if you have stagnant water that's attracting them- is to add some old school, basic, green Fairy liquid to the stagnant water. Problem solved.

[SunbathingDragon]

We have loads of water around and seem to get them almost all year round. Before we moved here I was really naive about how many mosquitos there are in this country.

[Shannith]

Here he is. (All insects are male in this house)

He appears to be a solo mosquito. RIP Kevin.

[Aquamarine1029]

I killed 3 of the evil fuckers in my house yesterday. No idea where they came from as I hadn't opened a door or window all day.

[oldmapie]

Fun fact for you OP I read it's only the females that bite. They need the food 🩸 to be able to lay eggs! I'm not an insectologist and have no idea if it's true.

[BewareTheBeardedDragon]

Ooh, I've heard that too - and they only bite when they are laying the eggs, at other times they don't.