Mosquitoes are best known for the habits of the adult females which often feed on blood to help generate their eggs. The lesser-known side is that mosquito adults, males and females, also feed on nectar from flowers. Their immature stages usually are located in standing, preferably stagnant, water. Adult mosquitoes prefer to be most active from dusk until dawn but can become active with sufficient cloud cover or in dark shady areas. Mosquitoes can be confused with flies. Mosquitoes have long legs, and a long proboscis or "nose" that female mosquitoes use to "bite" people and pets to draw blood, needed to lay eggs. Most flies won't bite and even long-legged flies are usually much smaller than mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are pesky pests and can spread disease such as West Nile Virus, dengue and malaria More commonly, though, mosquitoes threaten family events more than health. Annoying signs of mosquito activity include the buzzing of the females and their bites. People have differing reactions to bites, ranging from mild irritation to intense inflammation and swelling. Signs of the immatures are their presence in standing water, which also can include watering dishes of containerized house plants. Call us today to prevent these pesky bites!