Mosquitoes have two genders; only female mosquitoes need blood meals to lay eggs. It takes merely 7 to 10 days for a female mosquito to develop from an egg into an adult, and each can lay up to one or two thousand eggs.

Culex mosquitoes (house mosquitoes) are the most common indoor species with mild biting tendencies. Aedes mosquitoes, also known as tiger mosquitoes, are smaller yet far more aggressive and bite openly in broad daylight.

1. When Are Mosquitoes Most Active?

Mosquito antennae carry 72 types of olfactory receptors, enabling them to move in swarms stealthily. They thrive best at 28℃–31℃, with populations surging exponentially in June and September every year.

June: Abundant rainfall creates standing water, paired with ideal temperature and humidity for breeding.

Post-Autumn Start: Mosquitoes breed frantically, marking the peak season for disease transmission.

Extreme heat slows mosquitoes down, so they are scarce during daytime and emerge after dark.

Temperatures below 17℃ usually stop mosquitoes from biting humans.

2. Who Do Mosquitoes Prefer to Bite?

Sweaty people secrete abundant amino acids, lactic acid and ammonia compounds, which draw mosquitoes to detect body temperature, humidity and scent.

Infants get bitten more easily than adults sharing the same room.

Women during menstruation, pregnancy and late pregnancy attract more bites.

Cosmetics such as hairspray and facial cleansers also raise the risk of mosquito bites.

3. How to Treat Mosquito Bites

Do not scratch the bite wound. Scratching releases tissue fluid and lymph fluid, forming persistent swellings and possibly triggering secondary infection or allergic dermatitis. The itch will fade significantly within 10–15 minutes if left untouched.

For unbearable itching:

Press the bump gently with fingernails;

Apply external agents such as balm, essential balm, or hydrocortisone liquid;

Rub with garlic or damp soap;

Crush one chlorpheniramine or aspirin tablet, mix with cold water into paste and spread on the bite.

Special Warnings

Avoid random application on pregnant women, or skin near eyes, nostrils, lips, private parts and mucous membranes. Seek medical treatment immediately if swelling spreads, fluid oozes continuously or the wound breaks open.

4. Four Effective Ways to Repel and Kill Mosquitoes

Eliminate all standing water, dispose of domestic garbage promptly, keep rooms clean, and close window and door screens tightly to remove breeding grounds.

Trap mosquitoes: Fill empty wine bottles with sugar water or beer and place them in corners. Mosquitoes will fly into the bottle and get stuck. Dried used tea leaves burned indoors also drive mosquitoes away.

Grow mosquito-repellent plants indoors: pelargonium, clove, marigold, jasmine and mint. Their strong fragrance keeps mosquitoes at bay.

Maintain personal hygiene. Eat more carotene-rich vegetables, garlic and other pungent greens, or take B-complex vitamins. After metabolism, these substances seep out through sweat and produce an odor mosquitoes avoid.