Mosquito Season: When Should You Equip Your Home?
Camille VidalThe best time to fit your home with fly screens is not the height of summer: it is just before the season, in spring, when the first mild days wake the mosquitoes up. Allow 6 to 9 working days of production for made-to-measure: order in April and you are all set for June; order in the middle of an invasion and you lose sleep waiting for the parcel. And if you are reading this from the southern hemisphere, flip everything: your spring is called October.
Here is the real calendar of a mosquito season, and the right moment to act depending on your situation.
The real calendar of a mosquito season
Mosquitoes do not check the calendar, they check the thermometer. As soon as night temperatures settle at around ten degrees, the first species come out of overwintering. Activity builds through spring, peaks during the warm months, especially after spells of rain, then declines with the first cool days of autumn. Two moments are particularly treacherous: the very start of the season, because nobody believes in it yet and the first bites catch everyone off guard, and the weeks that follow a summer storm, when every plant pot saucer turns into a nursery.
In the northern hemisphere, that adds up to a season running roughly from mid-spring to early autumn, with local nuances: shorter in Nordic climates, longer around the Mediterranean, and stretched out in cities by urban species that thrive on the slightest bit of standing water. In other words: if you wait to get bitten before acting, you are already two to three weeks behind them.
Why equip before the peak (and not during)
The reason is pure arithmetic. A made-to-measure fly screen takes 6 to 9 working days to produce, plus delivery: ordered before the season, it is in place when the first wave arrives; ordered at the height of the invasion, it leaves one to two weeks of ruined nights between the decision and the installation. It is the classic paradox of this product: everyone thinks of it at the worst moment, almost nobody at the best one.
Equipping early also means measuring and fitting calmly: about ten minutes per opening, no pressure, at a time you choose. Our measuring guide walks you through it step by step, opening by opening.
The right moment for your situation
Moving in or renovating? Take the opportunity to measure every opening in one go: equipping the whole house in a single order saves you chasing fly screens room by room once summer arrives, and quantity discounts work in your favour. A holiday home deserves the same reflex: equip it when you open it up in spring, not the day before the August holidays.
Renting? The no-drill version goes up and comes down without leaving a trace, which makes it worthwhile even for a single season. Already equipped? Spring is the time to check the mesh and fixings: our guide to maintaining and repairing your fly screen covers it all in ten minutes. A tired adhesive strip or a small snag spotted in April gets fixed calmly; discovered in July, it has to be endured.
When autumn comes: remove, leave in place, or plan for next year
An E-glass fibreglass mesh handles the seasons and lasts 8 to 20 years: leaving it in place over winter does not damage it. If you prefer a bare window in the off season, the magnetic fixings let you take the mesh down in seconds and put it back up in spring, without re-sticking anything. Nothing stops you from turning it into a seasonal ritual, down in autumn and back up in spring: the mesh spends winter folded in a cupboard and comes out as good as new.
And winter has a hidden virtue: it is the ideal season to measure and order at your leisure, with no urgency and no mosquito on the ceiling. The truly forward-thinking equip their home in February and never hear the first buzz of April.
Southern hemisphere: exactly the same, six months later
In Australia, New Zealand or southern Africa, the logic is identical but the calendar flips: the season runs roughly from October to April, peaking during the austral summer, especially after the rains. It is the exact mirror of Europe: while windows are closing in Paris, they are opening in Sydney, Auckland or Cape Town.
The right reflex there is to order in September, so you are equipped before the first hot days. Same product, same anticipation, different dates.
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Frequently asked questions
When should you install fly screens?
Before the season: in spring in the northern hemisphere, in September in the southern hemisphere. Installation takes about ten minutes per opening, with no tools and no drilling.
Should you remove the fly screen in winter?
It is not necessary: fibreglass handles the seasons without damage. If you prefer, the magnetic fixings come down and go back up in seconds.
Do mosquitoes really disappear in winter?
Activity drops sharply with the cold, but some species overwinter in shelter, sometimes in cellars and garages, and an early mild spell can wake them up. All the more reason to be equipped before everyone else.
How far ahead of the season should you order?
Allow 6 to 9 working days of production for made-to-measure, plus delivery. Ordering two to three weeks before the first warm days leaves all the margin you need.
Is a fly screen useful outside mosquito season?
Yes: it also stops flies, limits the leaves and dust that come in when you air the house for a long time, and lets you sleep with the windows open from the first fine days.