Have you ever wondered if freezing weather kills mosquito larvae? What about fleas? How low a temperature does it have to get to kill them?

Unfortunately, cold weather really doesn't have much effect on insect populations. In very cold areas of the world swarms of mosquitoes and flies can torment wildlife and people after spring thaws. Western North Carolina does not get as cold as those places obviously.

There are mosquito species whose larvae live under the ice of frozen ponds so the temperatures never get low enough to kill them. Mosquito larvae can survive in buckets of water where there's a layer of ice on top. Besides, in the wild, water in tree holes seldom freezes, providing a source for mosquito emergence in the spring.

Flea larvae are able to move to warm places and protect themselves from freezing. Fleas larvae burrow underneath the ground near hard surfaces such as sidewalks and buildings. These surfaces absorb heat during the day and radiate it out at night, providing a comfortable environment for flea larvae. Adult fleas are always on the host animal so they never run the risk of getting chilled.