Summer may be winding down, but it’s still mosquito season. If you’re one of the many homeowners who put off cleaning their gutters, you may be unwittingly creating the perfect habitat for these pesky creatures.
Here’s what happens: As twigs and leaves fall from trees onto your roof, they get washed into your downspouts and gutters. If you don’t clean your gutters, the debris accumulates, collecting moisture. Eventually, all that built-up debris will cause your gutters to clog, filling them with standing water—a mosquito’s ideal breeding ground.
Mosquitoes require standing water for three out of the four stages in their life cycle: egg, pupal and larval. In fact, mosquitoes spend the first five to 14 days of their lives entirely in stagnant water.
Adult female mosquitoes lay their eggs in areas of standing water, such as the ones found in clogged gutters.
Once the larvae hatch, they feed on underwater microorganisms. They then become pupae, out of which adult mosquitoes hatch. The females bite, using your blood to nourish more eggs, which they then lay in standing water. Before you know it, your clogged gutters are swarming with mosquitoes, and you and your family are itching and scratching when you go outside.
The solution? Clean your gutters at least once every six months to keep mosquitoes at bay.
If you’re tired climbing a ladder to clean your gutters, check out the patented gutter guards from Keystone Gutter Helmet, which prevent debris from building up and clogging your gutters. Give us a call today at (610)372-4383 or contact us online for your free, no-obligation consultation and estimate.
