Rain Garden Facts and Fiction: Rain Gardens Don't Breed Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes lay eggs in standing water. Rain gardens do not hold rainwater long enough for mosquitoes to reproduce successfully.

According to Dr. David N. Gaines, Public Health Entomologist, Virginia Department of Health: "Most mosquito species can complete their life cycle in a flood pool or puddle that is present for more than 2 weeks, but will not be able to survive in a puddle that dries up after only one week."

Dr. David N. Gaines: "Any temporary body of water that is present for more than a week can be a mosquito breeding habitat. Flooded cattle hoof prints in a muddy field have been known to produce dozens of mosquitoes each. The limiting factors are the longevity of the aquatic habitat, and the duration of the mosquito species' life cycle (life cycle = time from egg hatch to emergence of adult mosquitoes from the water). The shortest life cycle on record for a mosquito is about 4.5 days, and this particular species breeds in mid-summer in the sun-warmed puddles of flooded fields, or areas of forest clear-cut (e.g., wheel ruts). It can only develop this quickly when the water conditions (i.e., temperature and food supply) are ideal. Other mosquito species typically have life cycles that take at least one or two weeks. Thus, most mosquito species can complete their life cycle in a flood pool or puddle that is present for more than 2 weeks, but will not be able to survive in a puddle that dries up after only one week."

To read the full article "Mosquito Breeding Habitats," by Dr. David N. Gaines,
click here.