Expert Answers
Avoiding Mosquitoes

Brouillette's Question:

Can you give me any general guidelines for how to find out when mosquitoes show up and when they're gone so I can go camping just before they are born or just after they die?

—Brouillette

Annie's Answer:

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Poor, plagued Brouillette. I hope you like winter camping! No doubt about it-those pesky skeeters really can ruin a trip if you let them. Since there are about 150 species of mosquitoes in North America, they're pretty hard to avoid.

Once the temperature drops below 50 degrees, however, mosquito functions stop and one of two things happens: Winter-hardy eggs become submerged in ice to hatch when water temperatures rise; or, some adult females overwinter by burrowing into hollow logs or dank basements.

When they emerge hungrily from their torpor, they feast on mammalian flesh in order to produce the next generation of eggs. Mosquitoes generally live about two weeks in temperatures around 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Short of bug dope and mesh clothing, your best bet is to skirt the season, as you suggest. Indeed, I've planned a few canoe journeys for autumn, happy to substitute cold weather and sanity for the buzzing onslaught of mosquito madness.