Mosquitoes are pesky bugs that suck blood and transmit viruses from one person to another. They are also the deadliest predators in the wild and they kill more than 700,000 human beings around the globe every year.
If it is your purpose to keep the mosquito population around your business or home in check, you can use multiple tools such as traps or sprays to force them to stay away. You can also lure some of the creatures mentioned below around your place so they are able to eat the mosquitoes, but it won’t eliminate the issue forever.
Let’s count some wonderful creatures who ‘take care’ of the mosquito problem naturally.
A few species of fish, such as Catfish, Koi, Minnows, Guppies, Goldfish and Gambusia Affinis (commonly known as the Mosquito Fish) will eat the mosquito larvae whenever they get an opportunity to. The larvae usually float in stagnant water, and if there are fish in it, they will not miss an opportunity to relish the delicious mosquito larvae. The Mosquito Fish is also one of the most effective predators of the mosquito larvae and it is used by many mosquito control companies and agencies around the globe to restraint the growth in the mosquito population.
Like most other birds, ducks will eat mosquitoes just like they would eat other insects. Even better, as Ducks are water birds, they eat mosquito larva and pupae as well which float on the water, which is an added bonus. This should be kept in mind that ducks do not solely hunt mosquitoes and will target any insect they can, so ducks aren’t a good choice to keep the mosquito population under control.
There are a staggering over 5000 species of dragonflies found all over the globe and these insects are one of the best at decimating large swarms of mosquitoes. A great fact about dragonflies is that they are known to eat mosquitoes (including the larva and the pupae) in both the dragonfly’s larva and adult forms. A single dragonfly can eat 35 to hundreds of blood-sucking mosquitoes a day – depending on its appetite.
Unfortunately, Bees are not a natural predator of the mosquito. Sometimes, they might accidentally kill mosquitoes over a territorial dispute of flowers and access to its pollen, but that is about it. Bees don’t actively try to hunt and kill mosquitoes.
Don’t rub your eyes, you did actually read that right. Toxorhynchites Rutilus, also known as the Elephant mosquito is a natural known predator of other mosquitoes. An added bonus is that the Elephant Mosquito doesn’t drink the blood of any animal, as it solely relies on drinking the nectar of flowers. Even the larvae of the Elephant Mosquito eat other mosquito larvae which means this particular species highly beneficial to human beings worldwide.
One of the most intimidating insects in the world, it should come as no surprise to learn that the praying mantis is a natural known enemy of the mosquitoes and many other insects, including some small birds! They are great ambushers, and they keep super still and keep waiting till the mosquito is within their vicinity and then they jump for it and relishing their prey alive.
Moths do not eat mosquitoes, as they are fully vegetarian insects. They solely rely on the nectar of the flowers, rotting fruits and tree saps for their nourishment.
Barn Swallows are one of the natural enemies of the mosquito. On average, the barn swallow eats about 60 insects a minute which means that the bird plays a huge role in keeping swarms of mosquitoes in control.
It depends. If all things are perfect, then lizards wouldn’t typically hunt mosquitoes. But if things are bad and prey isn’t plenty in the wild, then yes, lizards will try to hunt down mosquitoes to fill their tummy.
Chickens do eat mosquitoes, but they aren’t fast enough to keep the mosquito population at bay. Other than mosquitoes, chickens will hunt for any and all insects and worms. Preying mosquitoes is primary a defense mechanism for the chicken as that would mean the mosquito was probably sucking the chicken’s blood, and the chicken decided to fight back.
Although the ladybug is carnivorous, they actively avoid eating other carnivorous and blood-sucking insects such as mosquitoes and bedbugs. Ladybugs are great at eating garden pests and they will occasionally eat species of mosquitoes who only feed on nectar (but such mosquitoes aren’t a threat to human beings), so general rule states that ladybugs do not eat mosquitoes.
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The venus fly trap lures predators inside of it by advertising nectar, so occasionally it traps male mosquitoes or other species of mosquitoes that solely feed on the nectar of flowers, but such mosquitoes also do not suck any blood so they are not a threat to humans or other animals. The female mosquito which sucks blood will never get lured inside of a venus fly trap as it wants blood for its protein content, and the venus flytrap has none of that.
Lovebugs are not carnivorous so unfortunately, they do not eat mosquitoes. They are nectar feeders so they generally lookout for the sweet nectar and spend their entire days looking for it just like plenty of other species of insects who are great at pollinating.
Wasps are not known to eat mosquitoes. They love eating nectar, and many different types of fruits, honey, some plants, and some small insects. Sadly, the mosquito isn’t small enough to be on their regular radar. In the accident, they can kill and eat some mosquitoes but that will be more accident than on purpose.
Oh yes. Most species of different birds are well-known for eating insects and it goes without saying that mosquitoes are a huge part of their everyday diet, and they need them for nourishment. A piece of note is the fact that most birds are carnivorous but do not actively try to prey upon mosquitoes. They will try to eat any and all insects and if mosquitoes are in their path and they get devoured as well.
No, and yes. Mayflies do not eat adult mosquitoes, but they will eat the pupae and larva of any insect species that floats on the surface of the water. If the larvae that they decide to hunt happens to the larvae of the mosquito then the mayflies aren’t messing around, and will definitely eat that. It should be kept in mind that they would eat any and all larvae and do not actively try to hunt for mosquito larvae.
Yes. Hummingbirds mostly enjoy eating flower nectar and they are well known for visiting a thousand flowers a day. Thankfully, they also need protein in their diet as they flap their wings are a rapid pace, and all that moving around requires a lot of energy as well as protein. They get that protein from preying upon insects such as mosquitoes, flying ants, aphids, whiteflies among others.
Yes, cartoons can’t be wrong, now can they! Insects including mosquitoes are the primary part of these amphibian’s diets. Unfortunately, they do not actively try to hunt mosquitoes so these amphibian hunters can only keep the mosquito population moderately controlled. Although these amphibians are not the mosquito vacuum cleaners we expect them to be, but they are extremely beneficial creatures and needed for a healthy environment.
Yes. Bats are one of the most dangerous predators of mosquitoes and other insects. There have been scientific studies conducted which show that bats can eat a staggering 1200 mosquitoes in one hour and up to 8000 a night. Only smaller species of bats are great at eating mosquitoes though, as the larger ones search for larger prey.
No. Mosquito Hawk is another fancy name for crane flies and they are creatures who aren’t even able to feed on anything in their adult form, so eating mosquitoes is definitely out of the question without a mouth.
Yes. Spiders spin their beautiful webs and it is a fantastic trap to catch prey (like mosquitoes and other insects) that get stuck. When the prey is trapped, the spider will spin a web around the insect and mummify it, which preserves the body of the insect until it feels hungry.
Most birds eat whatever insects they can get their beaks upon and it is a primary part of their daily diet and by default, that means that they will eat most insects including mosquitoes. Lizards, toads, and frogs among other amphibians will also eat most insects that they can hunt.
There are other insects as well who eat insects, such insects are carnivorous but this is a minority. Insects and bugs who gather nectar will never hunt other insects though, they solely rely on the nectar and continue to do their selfless job by pollinating. Hope this guide was helpful for you to understand what does and does not eat mosquitoes.
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