Air conditioning can keep mosquitoes away when it is set to remove warmth and humidity. Any temperature below 50°F will kill mosquitoes, while 65-70°F repels and keeps them from disturbing you. Mosquitoes need a temperature of 80°F to survive.
Set the air conditioner at 60°F and let it run for 2 hours for the cold to keep mosquitoes away. Close the doors and windows and stay away from the room or keep warm. A blowing air conditioner will displace the warm, humid air and carbon dioxide that attracts mosquitoes into a room.
If the air conditioner is set to cool a room, any mosquito in it will remain dormant and hide in warm areas until the room is warm again.
Do cold AC temperatures kill mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes die at 50°F because they are cold-blooded insects. Their body temperatures must be balanced with that of their environment for them to survive. This is why mosquitoes enter the house through open doors and windows in the evening.
When temperatures are warm outside, mosquitoes will fly out. This is why windows and doors should always remain open during the day. Close them in the evening before it gets too cold to keep mosquitoes away.
When the temperature is below 50°F, mosquitoes will die instantly. However, it is advisable to set the AC at 60°F for 2 hours when killing mosquitoes. Cold temperatures can damage your air conditioner and reduce its life span. At 60°F, mosquitoes will be inactive, and they will go away or die in the long run.
The female mosquitoes will hibernate and become inactive when the room is too cold. This is all you need since they will not bother you as you sleep. When the temperatures are maintained between 65⁰ F-70⁰ F, mosquitoes will hibernate, but they will not die.
It is a fact that some mosquitoes can stay inactive or hibernate for 6 months. This is why they suddenly appear when the room becomes hotter and more humid. But the good news is that most of them will not survive that long.
Conditioning a room at a constant temperature of 50⁰ F-60⁰ F is what will kill them. In most cases, this will repel mosquitoes, and they will fly away to find a better environment that is warm and moist.
Air conditioner mosquito control
Normally, an air conditioner will run for 15-20 minutes intervals within an hour. This explains the need to run an AC at 60°F for 2 hours to kill mosquitoes in a large room. However, when the room is small, you will only need to run it for 1 hour.
After turning the AC off, you should keep the doors and the windows closed. This will ensure that the temperatures remain cold for mosquitoes. This will keep them less active and remain hidden in warm areas for you to sleep in peace.
How to get rid of mosquitoes in your bedroom using an air conditioner
Mosquitoes will also die in air-conditioned rooms because they will be exposed to an environment with less humidity.
Mosquitoes need constant moisture and high temperatures to survive. If you condition the room well for long hours and deny them those two, they will not survive.
- When using an air conditioner to control mosquitoes in your bedroom, try and keep the room organized.
- Turn the AC to 65⁰F and let it stay on for 1-2 hours, depending on the size of the room.
- After running the cold temperatures for 2 hours, switch the AC off
- Let the temperature stabilize naturally for 1 hour before you sleep there.
- Remove dirty clothes that are left on the floor and close all the wardrobes.
- Remove anything kept under the bed because that is where they will hide while looking for warmth and moisture
- Ensure the room is thoroughly cleansed. Anything that is not used in there should be removed because the more space you have in there, the better.
- See to it that the bed is well-spread and kept neat with no wrinkles. Mosquitoes hide in wrinkled bed sheets and duvets when the room is cold.
It is important to keep the room organized if you want to succeed in this. Mosquitoes will return from their hideouts at night if the room is warm and humid.
You can leave the AC to run at 65⁰ F as you sleep. This will keep mosquitoes away and it is also the best temperature for sleeping at night.
Does cold AC kill mosquito eggs?
Cold AC can not kill mosquito eggs because they can stay dormant for 15 years. An air conditioner for mosquito control is only effective for adult mosquitoes.
Any mosquito that has been hatched will be negatively affected by cold AC. This is because mosquito eggs can survive even when the temperatures are set to freezing levels.
If you throw mosquito eggs in a freezer, they will remain intact. This is why a cold Ac should never be used to get rid of mosquito eggs.
After all, mosquito eggs will not disturb your sleep at night. Using AC for mosquitoes is an instant solution for adult mosquitoes that will not let you sleep.
When the AC is cold, it will only delay the mosquito eggs from hatching. However, it will not destroy them at all. They will wait for the perfect warm and humid temperatures to hatch. If mosquitoes lay their eggs in your house and they hatch, the larvae and pupae will not survive if there is no water.
Never worry about mosquito eggs as long as there is no constant water supply or stagnant water in your room.
In case you live in a mosquito-infested area, using AC to control them is a temporary solution. The best part of it is that it works instantly. You need to look for permanent solutions to get rid of those eggs. If possible, use natural mosquito repellent at home.
Mosquito plug-in for an air-conditioned room
After the air in a room has been conditioned, there will be no need for a mosquito plugin there. This is because the mosquitoes will be less active and dormant.
It is not advisable to use a mosquito plugin in an air-conditioned room. The fumes will be circulated, and there is a high chance of inhaling them in large amounts as you sleep. Using the plug-ins during the day when no one uses the bedrooms is a good idea.
It has been observed that chemical-based plug-ins are the best and most effective in repelling mosquitoes. This is why using them at the same time with an air conditioner is not safe, especially for young ones.
Only use air conditioners to repel mosquitoes at night. This is because it is an instant solution. Avoid having mosquito plugins in an air-conditioned room. Basically, mosquitoes hide in warm or dark areas near their food source. Keep the place cold, and they will flee.