Mosquitoes in NYC apartment popping up in November?

November 12, 2016 10:25 PM

This has been a bizarre problem that's been plaguing us every late fall: for some unknown reason, we get a sudden influx of mosquitoes in our apartment that STARTS in October/November. It's always after the point in time when the weather is cold enough that mosquitoes shouldn't be alive anymore (right now it's 44ºF, for example).

Our bedroom suddenly fills with them and we have no idea where they're coming from, and again, it's way too cold outside to be hospitable for them. We wake up in the middle of the night and kill at least a couple—my high score was 7 (half of which were bloody).

The weirdest part is that we go through the entire summer with little to no issues with mosquitos in our apartment. It only crops up now!

Any thoughts?

posted by lanewinfield to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

Radiator condensation somewhere? warm wet, perfect setup for it. Have you asked your super if other people have the same problem?
posted by emjaybee at 10:32 PM on November 12, 2016

Best answer: I have this in my house some years. The solution is always to find the water -- there is water somewhere -- and hose it down with a bit of Raid, and the problem's over pretty much instantly.
posted by kmennie at 12:45 AM on November 13, 2016 [1 favorite]

Also check if the toilet or sink is not leaking unseen.
posted by thegirlwiththehat at 5:15 AM on November 13, 2016

is there some source of water that is running during the summer and then still in the fall?
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 7:02 AM on November 13, 2016

Best answer: A window a/c that might be improperly installed and has a pool of standing warm-ish water in the bottom?
posted by suedehead at 8:42 AM on November 13, 2016 [3 favorites]

I think emjaybee is right that it's condensation; I was guessing right outside or in a low point inside a bathroom or dryer vent -- in the case of a bathroom vent, they could fly right back down it after they become adults.
posted by jamjam at 9:42 AM on November 13, 2016

Best answer: Not sure where you are in NYC, but you might also want to give 311 a call and report the problem. Some blocks in the city have bigger issues than others, and ever since West Nile Virus became a thing the city is taking an active role in helping fight mosquitoes, at least in some areas. I seem to recall there are some underground streams that are part of the problem, so it's not always an easy fix at the apartment level.
posted by Mchelly at 8:14 PM on November 13, 2016 [1 favorite]