The itch of a mosquito bite is one of the biggest nuisances of summer.
Mosquitoes breed in standing water.
Only female mosquitoes bite, according to Pitts. The females' persistent search for blood brings them into houses and yards, where they may become annoying pests. Many mosquito problems can be traced to containers of water around the yard, such as children's toys, pots and cans, tire swings, animal tracks and clogged rain gutters. Neighborhood breeding areas can include construction sites, trash dumps and cemetery urns or planters. Most mosquitoes remain within a half-mile of where they hatched, but some can fly many miles.