Reviewed by William "Willy" Vizcarrondo, NYS DEC Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator C1825832. Updated September 23, 2026.
Mosquitoes on Long Island breed in standing water, and they don't need much of it: a birdbath, a clogged gutter, a planter saucer or a tarp fold will do. They're active from late spring through the first frost, they carry West Nile virus in New York, and the fix is on your property, not in a spray.
| Size | About 1/4 inch, slender, with long legs and one pair of wings |
|---|---|
| Color | Brown, gray or black; some species with white-banded legs |
| Look-alikes | Crane flies (much bigger, harmless, don't bite); midges and gnats (swarm but don't bite) |
| Where you'll find it | Standing water in gutters, birdbaths, planters, tarps, tires, kiddie pools, pool covers, and any shaded damp yard |
| Active on Long Island | May through October, peaking July through September |
| Danger level | Itchy bites for most people; West Nile virus has been in New York State since 1999, and mosquito-borne illness risk peaks in late summer |
Mosquitoes show up on Long Island once nights stay above the 50s in May, peak through July, August and September, and hang on until the first hard frost in October.
A mosquito is a small, slender fly, about a quarter inch, with long thin legs, a single pair of narrow wings and a long needle-like mouthpart. The ones biting in the yard on a Long Island evening breed in whatever standing water is closest, from gutters and catch basins down to a bottle cap. Only females bite, and they need the blood to lay eggs.
Two things that aren't mosquitoes: crane flies, which are two or three times bigger, gangly, and harmless, and the clouds of midges or gnats over a lawn at dusk, which don't bite. A bug that's biting you at night indoors on a regular basis is more likely a bed bug than a mosquito.
West Nile virus has been in New York State since 1999 and spreads to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. The New York State Department of Health notes most people infected never get symptoms, but those who do feel it 3 to 15 days after the bite, with fever, headache, body aches and sometimes a rash or swollen glands, and a small number develop serious neurological illness. The state also tracks eastern equine encephalitis, with risk peaking from late July through September. The CDC's prevention advice is the same for both: get rid of the water they breed in, keep them out with screens, and use an EPA-registered repellent on skin.
Yes, and it's the only thing that works. The CDC's rule is to check your property once a week and empty, scrub, cover or throw out anything holding water: tires, buckets, toys, kiddie pools, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers and trash cans, plus the gutters, the pool cover, the tarp over the grill and the wheelbarrow. Change birdbath water weekly. Fix screens on windows and doors, and use a repellent with DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus when you're outside at dusk. The New York State Department of Health adds: cover your skin when mosquitoes are active and eliminate all standing water around the home.
Bobby Bugs does not offer mosquito treatment. If your yard is bad every summer and the standing water is handled, the water is usually somewhere you can't see, a neighbor's gutter, a catch basin, a low spot that never dries, and a yard spray from anyone would be a temporary fix at best.
Bobby Bugs does not treat for mosquitoes, and we'd rather tell you that than sell you a spray that wears off in a week. What we will do is tell you what's biting you if you send a photo, and point you at the standing water on your property if you're not sure where it is. For ticks, which share the same yard edges, we do offer treatment with a free estimate.
More on Tick control on Long Island.
Related answers
No. We don't offer mosquito treatment, and we say so up front. Yard sprays give a week or two of relief and do nothing about the standing water that breeds the next generation. Emptying containers, clearing gutters, fixing screens and using repellent does more, and we're happy to tell you what's biting you from a photo.
From standing water within a few hundred feet, and usually closer. The CDC's list is tires, buckets, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers and trash containers, and on Long Island the usual culprits are a clogged gutter, a tarp with a fold that holds rain, a pool cover, and the saucer under a planter. Check weekly and empty everything.
Yes, though the risk to any one person is low. West Nile has been in New York State since 1999, spreads through mosquito bites, and most people infected never feel it. Those who do get sick 3 to 15 days after the bite, and a small number develop serious illness. Repellent, screens and no standing water are the prevention.
Shade, moisture and water. Adult mosquitoes rest in dense, shaded, damp plantings during the day and breed in whatever water is closest, so a yard with heavy shrubs, a birdbath and a low spot that stays wet will have far more than a sunny, dry one next door. Thinning plantings, fixing drainage and emptying water changes it.
Not sure what's biting you? Send us a photo and we'll tell you what it is.