What Animals & Bugs Eat Mosquitoes?

Bugs are widespread insects on the earth. We can find them in locations all around the globe, and they come in a wide range of shapes and sizes.

Bugs have many different habitats, but some prefer to live near humans because we provide them with food. Unfortunately, they come in various colors, making it hard to spot them in the wild sometimes.

One of the most common and deadliest bugs in the world is the mosquito. These biting creatures can spread diseases worldwide, and they tend to be highly annoying to most people.

Mosquitoes live in various habitats, including rain forests, deserts, swamps, and Arctic tundra. You will find them near water sources such as lakes, rivers, or ponds and next to damp vegetation such as bogs or marshes that provide them with food and shelter.

They are tiny insects, but they can do much damage once entering homes or camping sites. Most folks would think that mosquitoes only live near water sources, but that is not always the case.

As stated above, mosquitoes can be found in locations worldwide, including near human dwellings. They can lay eggs without water or a blood meal and can see all of the nutrients they need from animal sweat, skin moisture, and pools of water.

Mosquitoes feed on blood, so it’s not surprising that other animals eat them too. However, there are many different kinds of bugs that eat mosquitoes. The most common bugs’ mosquito eaters are the dragonflies, and they make excellent mosquito control in your backyard or pond area.

The dragonfly is a bug that lives in freshwater ponds. Unlike most other bugs, the dragonflies have wings that help them fly from one place to another. When they spot mosquitoes flying around the water near them, they swoop down to eat them.

The dragonfly and the mosquito have a relationship that works in a way for both of them. The dragonflies can eat mosquitoes because they have good vision. They also hover over water to catch their prey, having excellent reactions, so they don’t miss out on any chance to eat.

Spiders hunt mosquitoes, and also they can eat them! Spiders are good at this because they have many legs, so the mosquito can’t escape with them. Tarantulas, orb weavers, and crab spiders all love to catch a blood-lusting mosquito.

So if you see small webs on your deck or around your house, it is very likely that they can catch something for dinner in those tiny webs. Other types of spiders don’t make these webs. Instead, they hang from the underside of leaves and wait for a mosquito to come by so that they can eat it.

Lizards are one of the common bugs that eat mosquitoes. They are fascinating creatures because they have big, green tongues covered in sticky saliva. The lizard will catch the mosquito and then stick its tongue out and hold it there for a second while the saliva takes effect.

Adult and larval aquatic beetles will eat mosquito larvae, pupae, or pretty much any insect that lives in water. The predaceous diving beetle and the water scavenger beetle are two types of beetles that love eating mosquitoes. 

Most snakes have a good sense of smell and will chase down an area where they smell the scent of blood. There are two specific breeds of snakes that eat only mosquitoes.

The first is the rhinoceros viper, which can grow to be almost 5 feet in length. The second is the meter-long desert cobra, which preys on small amphibians and rodents in addition to mosquitoes.

One of the most well-known mosquito eaters is the Grey Plover in southeast Africa. These birds compete with other birds for territories where they can find more mosquitoes for food.

Birds are amongst the most effective predators of adult mosquitoes. Over 500 birds on the record consume mosquitoes, including robins, herons, and other songbirds. A bird such as a swallow can consume up to 5,000 mosquitoes per day without harming its health.

Some species of frogs will eat almost anything, including insects and even other smaller frogs. The grey tree frog is one of the only species in the USA to include mosquitoes on their regular menu.

Adult frogs (such as the spade-foot frog, the green tree frog, and the giant tree frog) don’t often waste their time on something so small as a mosquito. But younger frogs aren’t too picky about what they eat. Tadpoles are another major predator of mosquito eggs.

When tadpoles are very young, they will eat nearly any kind of particle that floats by them in water. Then, as they mature, they focus more on smaller creatures such as mosquito larvae.

Muddy waters can be a breeding ground for millions of mosquitoes, so it makes sense that fish would benefit from eating them. That’s one reason why mosquito control agencies explicitly breed mosquito fish to eat the insects in local ponds and lakes.

Bats are an effective way to kill off the population of mosquitoes. They can eat many mosquitoes in a single hour because they are nocturnal creatures (they sleep during the day and come out at night). They catch and eat them at night when they are unable to fly.

You can build a habitat to lure the mosquitoes away from your home using plants that ward off mosquitoes, such as lemongrass or citronella, which is one of the primary ingredients in candles and sprays. You can also plant marigolds in your yard or garden to get rid of mosquitoes.

Pest Management / Crickey Conservation Society 2022.