If you want to keep the mosquito population around your house or business under control, you can use tools like mosquito traps or sprays or by encouraging the presence of creatures that will eat them. But don’t ever harbor the idea that doing so will eliminate your mosquito problem once and for all.
So then, here is a list of possible predators and whether or not they eat mosquitoes.
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Do Dragonflies Eat Mosquitoes?
Yes. Dragonflies eat mosquitoes when both of them are larva living in the water and later when both are aerial enemies. Dragonflies are extraordinarily agile in flight, outmaneuvering mosquitoes, bees, gnats, ants, butterflies, and even termite swarmers. Mosquitoes might be the reason why you have dragonflies in your yard.
Do Bats Eat Mosquitoes?
Yes. Actually, bats eat a lot of mosquitoes. Bats love to eat mosquitoes and other insects. Studies have shown they can eat up to 1200 mosquitoes or mosquito-sized insects in one hour!
Do Crane Flies Eat Mosquitoes?
No. Crane flies, which look like over-sized mosquitoes, don’t actually eat at all during their short life as an adult. Their whole life span is only about 10-15 days from hatching to death and only during a few of those days are they adults. Their larva might eat mosquito larva in the water, but that’s about it.
Do Mosquito Hawks Eat Mosquitoes?
No. Mosquito hawks are another name for crane flies, who aren’t even able to eat during their adulthood.
Do Spiders Eat Mosquitoes?
Yes. Spiders will spin a web that catches a multitude of flying insects, including mosquitoes. Once their prey is caught in their web, a spider will wrap it in spider silk and save the body until it is hungry.
Do Hummingbirds Eat Mosquitoes?
Yes. Hummingbirds primarily eat flower nectar, visiting up to 1000 flowers a day. They also need protein, which they get from eating mosquitoes, gnats, aphids, flying ants, white flies, and more.
Do Frogs Or Toads Eat Mosquitoes?
Yes. Frogs and toads eat mosquitoes, but it isn’t enough to stop the growth of their population, popular misconceptions to the contrary notwithstanding. At best, these amphibian hunters can only keep the mosquito population in balance.
Do Birds Eat Mosquitoes?
Yes. Most major bird species will eat mosquitoes. Insects are a mainstay in the diets of most species of birds, so naturally they wind up eating mosquitoes as well. However, they don’t eat mosquitoes exclusively. They eat them as “targets of opportunity” just as they do with any other insect.
Do Mayflies Eat Mosquitoes?
No. Mayflies don’t eat mosquitoes – as such. However, they will eat algae or the larva of any species that lives in the water. If the larva they attack happen to be mosquito larva, the mayflies aren’t picky. They don’t search for mosquito larva in particular though. They just eat whatever larva is handy.
Do Love Bugs Eat Mosquitoes?
No. Love bugs aren’t native to the United States and they don’t eat mosquitoes. Instead they eat from flowers just like many other pollinator species.
Do Wasps Eat Mosquitoes?
No. Wasps are not generally known for eating mosquitoes. They eat nectar, fruits of various kinds, honey, some small insects, and a few plants. Although they may occasionally kill and eat a mosquito it is more by accident than anything.
Do Venus fly Traps Eat Mosquitoes?
Sometimes. Venus fly traps eat insects. They lure insects with their nectar, so they will occasionally lure a male mosquito into their trap, but the bloodsucking female is looking for people or animals to feed on so she can lay more eggs. As a general rule though, Venus fly traps are not know for eating mosquitoes.
Do Chickens Eat Mosquitoes?
Yes. Chickens eat mosquitoes and other small insects but they can’t possibly eat enough of them fast enough to reduce their population. It’s not for lack of trying though.
Do Ladybugs Eat Mosquitoes?
No. Ladybugs are carnivores but they avoid eating bloodsucking insects such as mosquitoes and bed bugs. Regardless, they are considered to be beneficial insects, unless you are dealing with a ladybug infestation. Ladybugs eat garden pests, so they might consume the occasional male mosquito who only feeds on nectar, but as a general rule they do not eat mosquitoes.
Do Lizards Eat Mosquitoes?
Sometimes. Lizards don’t typically eat mosquitoes. They have a widely varying diet will opportunistically eat the odd mosquito here and there, but not enough to have any impact on their population. Overall, the answer is no.
Do Moths Eat Mosquitoes?
No. Moths don’t feed on any insects at all. The only thing they feed on is nectar, tree sap, rotting fruit, and muddy puddles.
Do Barn Swallows Eat Mosquitoes?
Yes. Barn swallows are especially fond of eating mosquitoes, gnats, and flying termite swarmers. They can eat up to 60 insects per hour so they play a definite role in keeping the mosquito population in check.
Do Praying Mantis Eat Mosquitoes?
Yes. Praying mantises eat mosquitoes and just about anything else they can get their claws on, even small hummingbirds. They are ambush predators, lying in wait for their prey to come to them rather than hunting for it, so any mosquitoes they eat are random rather than deliberate.
Do Ducks Eat Mosquitoes?
Yes. Like all birds, ducks will eat mosquitoes along with other insects. As a water fowl though, they are also notable for eating mosquito larva and pupae that are in the water. However, ducks will eat any insect so the odds of them eating enough mosquitoes to keep them under control are about zero.
Do Bees Eat Mosquitoes?
No. Bees are not a natural enemy of mosquitoes or one of their predators. Like wasps, they might accidentally kill a male mosquito from time to time in a territorial dispute over flowers and access to pollen, but that’s it.
Do Fish Eat Mosquitoes?
Yes. Certain species of fish will eat mosquito larva whenever they get the chance. Chief among these are goldfish, guppies, minnows, and koi, which can be kept over winter. They can’t eat the adults, of course, but they love to eat the larva and pupae.
Summary Table: Which Creatures Eat Mosquitoes?
Given we just listed out 21 different animals and bugs that do and do not eat mosquitoes, we figured adding a quick summary table should help in case you forgot any!
| Creature | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Dragonflies | X | |
| Craneflies | X | |
| Spiders | X | |
| Frogs & Toads | X | |
| Mayflies | X | |
| Wasps | X | |
| Chickens | X | |
| Lizards | X | |
| Barn Swallows | X | |
| Ducks | X | |
| Fish | X | |
| Bats | X | |
| Mosquito Hawks | X | |
| Hummingbirds | X | |
| Birds (General) | X | |
| Love Bugs | X | |
| Venus Fly Traps | X | |
| Moths | X | |
| Praying Mantis | X | |
| Bees | X | |
| Lady Bugs | X |
Final Thoughts On Mosquito Predators
Birds of all kinds eat insects as a major part of their diet and therefore will eat mosquitoes just as they will eat any insect. Amphibians such as frogs, toads, and lizards will also eat any insects, including mosquitoes, that they encounter. Most species of fish will happily eat mosquito larva and pupae any chance they get.
At the other end of the scale, there are many carnivorous insects that will eat other insects, including mosquitoes. Nectar gathering or pollinating insects, on the other hand, don’t eat any other insects at all, mosquitoes or otherwise.
This description, and the above summary table, should be sufficient to guide you on your way to determining what creatures will or won’t eat mosquitoes.
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