📖 Poison Mosquitoes: Surviving Don't Starve's Sneakiest Pest
Table of Contents
Topic Cluster
Below is a cluster of key topics and related terms covered in this guide, which can help you navigate the information:
Poison Mosquito Description
Stats, spawn triggers, and differences from normal Mosquito
Biomes & Seasons
Where and when they spawn (Monsoon Season floods, Slot Machine outcomes)
Behavior & Attacks
Aggression, movement speed, poison bite attacks, explosion mechanics
Poison Effect
Health/sanity drain, duration, effects on mobs
Drops & Loot
Yellow Mosquito Sacks, Venom Glands, crafting Anti-Venom
Survival Strategies
Avoiding puddles, using armor, curing poison quickly
Combat Techniques
Armor combinations, kiting, ranged attacks, Bug Net tactics
DST Differences
No poison in unmodded DST, Wurt's mosquito Itchcraft ability
Poison Mosquito Overview
In the Don't Starve: Shipwrecked DLC, Poison Mosquitoes are a hostile mob that put a deadly twist on the familiar mosquito. Visually, a Poison Mosquito is a yellow-and-purple mosquito with a bloated abdomen, distinguished from normal mosquitoes by its coloring and the toxic droplets it drips. As the name suggests, its primary threat is inflicting poison on its victims.
Stats and Behavior
Health
100
Damage
3 per bite
Explosion
34 damage
Bite Attacks
Each mosquito's bite only does 3 damage per hit, which seems low. However, every successful hit instantly poisons the target. The small damage can quickly add up if the mosquito's fast hits stunlock you, and the poison will continuously drain your health if not cured.
"Fourth Bite" Explosion
After hitting a target four times, a Poison Mosquito's abdomen swells up and on the 4th successful strike it will explode. This explosion deals 34 damage in an area and poisons all nearby mobs. The explosion is effectively a suicide attack; the mosquito itself dies once it blows up.
Movement
Like regular mosquitoes, Poison Mosquitoes fly quickly and can be hard to hit. They tend to dart in to attack and then retreat a short distance. As of 2023, they will pursue targets across water tiles in Shipwrecked and Hamlet worlds.
Catchable
Despite their danger, Poison Mosquitoes can be caught with a Bug Net just like normal mosquitoes. If you manage to net one, it will be trapped as an item in your inventory.
Spawns and Habitat
Poison Mosquitoes are unique to the tropical Shipwrecked lands. You will NOT encounter them in the base game or Reign of Giants world.
🌧️ Main Spawn Conditions
Monsoon Season flooding
During the Monsoon Season, puddles of water will form on land as it rains. These Flooded tiles on jungle or meadow islands are the breeding ground for Poison Mosquitoes. Whenever a land tile becomes flooded, there is a chance a Poison Mosquito will spawn from it.
Slot Machine outcome
One of the bad random outcomes from using the Slot Machine is to spawn a bunch of Poison Mosquitoes as a hostile surprise. The Slot Machine can spawn a group of Poison Mosquitoes at once, making it quite dangerous if you're unprepared.
Other sources
Poison Mosquitoes do not spawn naturally in Hamlet or in base/RoG, only Shipwrecked. Some community mods that incorporate Shipwrecked content into DST also have Poison Mosquito spawns.
Effects of Poison and How to Cure It
Before diving into combat strategies, it's crucial to understand what happens when you get poisoned. The poison status effect in Don't Starve (Shipwrecked and Hamlet) is one of the most dangerous status ailments.
Initial Poisoning
When a Poison Mosquito hits you, you'll notice green bubbles on your health meter and periodic screen flashes in green tint. This indicates you are poisoned. From that moment, poison will continuously drain your Health and Sanity over time.
Damage Over Time
Poison damage isn't static; it ramps up the longer you stay poisoned:
| Time Since Poisoned | Health Damage per Tick | Tick Interval (seconds) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 1 day | 1 HP | 10 sec |
| 1 – 1.75 days | 1.5 HP | 10 sec |
| 1.75 – 2.25 days | 2 HP | 10 sec |
| 2.25 – 2.7 days | 2.5 HP | 9 sec |
| 2.7 – 2.9 days | 3 HP | 7 sec |
| After ~2.9 days | 4 HP | 5 sec |
By the third day, poison damage skyrockets to ~48 HP/minute — enough to kill any character from full health within a single day.
Duration
Technically, poison is supposed to wear off after about 3 game days (in the current version). However, many players have observed cases where it lasts 5-6 days instead — possibly due to sleeping, saving/loading, or other factors extending the timer.
Curing Poison
Character Immunities
WX-78
WX-78 is completely immune to poison damage! Being a robot, WX doesn't take the DOT or stat penalties from poison. However, WX will still display the visual effects of being poisoned.
Poison on Other Mobs
Poison doesn't only affect players – creatures can be poisoned too. Effects on mobs include:
- → -25% movement speed
- → -25% damage output
- → +25% attack interval (slower attacks)
Poison on non-player entities wears off after ~120 seconds (2 minutes), unlike the player's poison which persists for days.
Interactions and Threats
Attacking Players
Poison Mosquitoes will actively target the player character on sight. Without intervention, a single Poison Mosquito can stunlock a player by chaining hits.
Armor Protection Tip
Wearing any kind of head and body armor at the same time will prevent the player from taking damage, being stunlocked and poisoned by Poison Mosquitoes' bites. However, their explosion damage will still go through armor and can poison you.
Attacking Other Creatures
Poison Mosquitoes are generally aggressive to any mob that a normal mosquito or bee would attack. They behave somewhat like Killer Bees in that regard – they prefer players, but will attack other creatures that are around.
Doydoys (the rare dodo birds in Shipwrecked) seem to be mostly ignored by Poison Mosquitoes, though there are exceptions.
Structures
Poison Mosquitoes do not particularly target structures. However, their explosions can damage structures if one explodes near something like a wall or Crock Pot.
Weather & Environment
Poison Mosquitoes are tied to wet, flooded conditions. They don't spawn without rain/floods (except via the Slot Machine). Interestingly, they are immune to poison gas and Bug B'Gone insecticide.
Survival Strategies: Beginner Tips
If you're new to Shipwrecked or find yourself struggling with Poison Mosquitoes, use these guidelines to survive the Monsoon season relatively safely:
💊 Prepare Anti-Venom
This cannot be stressed enough – prepare your poison cure in advance. The moment you settle in Shipwrecked, keep an eye out for Coral and Seaweed and kill any easy poison creatures for a Venom Gland.
Anti-Venom Recipe:
- • 1 Venom Gland
- • 3 Seaweed
- • 2 Coral
Having Anti-Venom prototyped and ready will make you much calmer when you hear that buzz, because you know getting poisoned won't be game over.
🏃 Avoid High-Risk Areas
Poison Mosquitoes spawn from flooded puddles. In Monsoon season, try to avoid areas that are flooding heavily. You'll see puddles forming on ground during rain; those are potential mosquito spawn points.
Some players choose to relocate base for Monsoon – set up a temporary camp on a small sandy island which might not flood much, thus no mosquito spawns.
🛡️ Basic Armor is a Must
By the time Poison Mosquitoes arrive, you must have some armor ready. At absolute minimum, craft a Log Suit and keep some football helmets or seashell suit on hand.
Best Armor: Seashell Suit
The Seashell Suit provides 100% physical poison protection by itself – meaning if you wear it, bites from snakes, spiders, mosquitoes cannot poison you.
- • 10 Seashells
- • 2 Limestone
- • 3 Vines
Craft Seashell Armor early if you can find the shells; it will save your life.
🏃 Avoidance and Distraction
If you're not well-equipped to fight Poison Mosquitoes, sometimes the best strategy is run away or use a distraction. Mosquitoes don't have an indefinite chase – if you get far enough or they become occupied, you can escape.
For example, you might lead them into other mobs: run toward a group of Spiders or Snakes. The mosquito might take a swing at the spider, causing a scuffle where either the mosquito dies or at least you get away while they fight.
⚔️ Timing your Strikes
If you have to melee a Poison Mosquito, time it right. They usually swoop in to attack, then pause a moment after biting. That pause is your window to smack them.
One or two hits with a Spear or Cutlass can kill a mosquito (they have 100 HP). Practice makes perfect: some players have noted "YES it is possible to kill them before they attack – just practice".
❤️ Carry Basic Healing
Even if you cure poison, you might be left with low HP. Always have a few healing items on you in Monsoon season – e.g. Spider Glands, Honey Poultice, Healing Salve, or cooked food.
If you do end up using a Venom Gland on yourself (the emergency cure), you will drop to 5 HP if you were low – so you must immediately heal after that or the next minor thing will kill you.
Advanced Combat and Exploitation
For experienced players or those looking to master Poison Mosquitoes, here are more advanced tactics:
Seashell Suit + Football Helmet = Immunity
This combination is the gold standard. The Seashell Suit alone stops poison from bites, and a Football Helmet provides additional protection. Wearing both means you can confidently engage Poison Mosquitoes without fear of the initial poison application.
"Hit-and-Run" Kiting
Equip a Cane (if obtained) or drink Coffee for speed. With a speed boost, you can run circles around them, hit once, then dodge. Without speed items, kiting is harder but still doable by timing. The general rule is never let them get the fourth hit on you.
Use Ranged Weapons
Boomerangs, Blowdarts, or Spearguns are fantastic against mosquitoes. A Boomerang can quickly dispatch a Poison Mosquito from a safe distance. Sleep Darts will put a mosquito to sleep, causing it to fall to the ground, where you can then safely whack it.
Bug Net Tactic
If you want mosquito drops, consider capturing them alive with a Bug Net rather than killing. A Bug Net swing has the same range as a melee hit but instantly removes the mosquito without an explosion and guarantees a drop later.
Use Followers or Pigs
If you have befriended Prime Apes or Wildbore during Monsoon, you can use them as mosquito killers. A bunch of Prime Apes can actually swat mosquitoes out of the sky. Wildbores can be befriended with monster meat and will fight alongside you.
Environmental Traps
One creative method is to use Lureplants as a trap. Lureplants will devour anything that comes near their eye turrets. If you plant a Lureplant in a flooded area, its Eyeplants might gobble up mosquitoes that wander close.
Base Design
Consider designing your base to mitigate their impact. For example, lay down Wooden Flooring or Rocky Turf in your base area – puddles do not form on man-made flooring. This can prevent mosquito spawns right in your camp.
💡 Pro Tip: Selective Engagement
If you see Poison Mosquitoes spawn and you're not in a position to fight them, consider avoiding them entirely. You can sometimes just leave the area – hop on a boat and sail away for a day. When you return later, they might have de-spawned or moved off.
Farming and Avoidance
Is Farming Worth It?
The main drops from Poison Mosquitoes are:
- • Venom Glands (25% drop chance)
- • Yellow Mosquito Sacks (50% drop chance)
Venom Glands are crucial for Anti Venom, but you typically don't need a huge number once you have a stock of anti-venom. Yellow Mosquito Sacks function like normal ones: you can right-click to "heal" 8 HP by applying it as a makeshift blood transfusion, at the cost of 3 Sanity and 5 Hunger.
If you can handle them, you might as well harvest their resources regularly during Monsoon, as some players consider mosquito farming the fastest way to get poison glands: "The best way to get poison glands fast is killing mosquitoes, plus the mosquito sacks are really good healing items."
Avoiding Entirely
Seasonal Strategy
You can try to skip Monsoon season. If you have a Teleportato, you could leave the SW world before Monsoon arrives and hop to another world, then return after it's over.
Stay at Sea
When the floods come, take to the seas. While sailing, you won't encounter Poison Mosquitoes. With a Cargo Boat or Armored Boat and a Cloth Sail or better, you can live off the ocean for those days.
Base in a Safe Biome
Not all biomes flood equally. The Magma Field biome might not flood at all; also the Tidal Marsh has permanent shallow water but no poison mosquitoes spawn from those pools by design.
Community Anecdote – The Poison Debate
It might be encouraging to know that many players initially feel poison is overwhelming. There was a notable thread titled "POISON IS BROKE!!!!!!" where the original poster ranted that getting poisoned means death and it was too hard.
One experienced player responded with a step-by-step that we've essentially echoed: "Seashell armor. Don't get poisoned from snakes and spiders... the solution is seashell armor."
As another user put it, "Poison isn't broken, it's just a matter of good planning... have some coral at base always".
Don't Starve Together: Mosquitoes and Poison
Key Difference
Poison Mosquitoes do NOT exist in Don't Starve Together by default. The poison status effect is not present in DST's base game.
Regular Mosquitoes in DST
In DST (which includes Reign of Giants content by default), mosquitoes spawn from Ponds in Marsh biomes during evening and night of the summer and late spring seasons. They are one of the lower-tier threats – typically dealing 5 damage per bite in DST without any poison effect.
Wurt's Mosquito Minions (2024 Update)
Wurt's Itchcraft Skill
Added in June 2024
In June 2024, Wurt received a skill called "Itchcraft" that allows her to harness mosquitoes. With this skill, Wurt can craft a Skeeter Bomb which she can throw to release friendly Mosquitoes that fight on her side.
Skeeter Bomb Recipe:
- • 4 live Mosquitoes
- • 1 Mosquito Sack
Shipwrecked Content via Mods
Island Adventures
This is a faithful port of Shipwrecked to DST, aimed at replicating SW mechanics closely. In Island Adventures, Poison Mosquitoes do exist, along with poison, anti-venom, etc.
Updated as of February 2025, this mod is actively maintained and recommended for those seeking the authentic Shipwrecked experience in DST.
Tropical Experience
Another mod that adds tropical biomes and Hamlet content to DST. It's less faithful and more a "mix-and-match" of content. It does include poison and Poison Mosquitoes, but the implementation is considered rougher.
"If you want a perfect Shipwrecked port use Island Adventures; if you want a lot of content use Tropical Experience."
Patch History & Recent Changes
Here are the notable patches and updates from the past 18 months that involve Poison Mosquitoes or the poison mechanic:
April 27, 2023 – "The Don't Starve Mega Update"
Quality of Life update for single-player Don't Starve (10th anniversary)
- • "Bees and mosquitos can now chase their target across water"
- • Flying insects when dropped over the ocean will no longer sink and drown
- • Many bug fixes affecting poison edge cases
June 27, 2024 – "Skill Expansion" Update
Don't Starve Together update introducing Wurt's skill tree
- • "Wurt is able to craft Skeeter Bombs that spawn friendly Mosquitos"
2023-2025 – Mod Updates
Community mod updates
Island Adventures and Tropical Experience saw regular updates to remain compatible with current DST builds.
Island Adventures added settings like "Strong Winds less destructive" and "Deadly Drowning toggle" for better customization of the Shipwrecked experience.
Mods and Community Resources
YouTube Guides
"Don't Starve Shipwrecked/Hamlet Guide: Poison, Anti Venom & More" by The Beard 777 – A comprehensive video explaining how poison works.
~36K views, indicating many found it helpful.
Reddit Discussions
The r/dontstarve subreddit has multiple Q&As where players ask for poison help or share memes.
One thread titled "Best way to cure poison?" has players answering "Make antivenom, don't eat venom gland unless you must".
UI Mods
Combined Status mod will display a poison meter when you're poisoned (like a green icon with remaining poison time).
Very helpful, as in vanilla DS you have to guess how long until poison wears off.
Trivia and Memes
The Don't Starve fandom has some running jokes about Poison Mosquitoes:
- • Wigfrid calls poison "the work of a coward", and Webber says "These ones leave a gift when they bite"
- • Comparing DS poison mechanics to Dark Souls toxic – "DS poison is the Dark Souls of DOTs"
- • Many players joke: "I hate mosquitoes IRL and now they haunt me in DS too"
Conclusion
Poison Mosquitoes are one of the most dangerous threats in Don't Starve: Shipwrecked, but with proper preparation, they become manageable. Remember the key points:
- ✓ Always craft Anti-Venom before Monsoon season
- ✓ Seashell Armor provides complete protection from poison bites
- ✓ Kill mosquitoes before their fourth bite to prevent explosion
- ✓ Consider base design strategies to minimize puddle formation
Remember: No matter how irritating Poison Mosquitoes get, at least you can save-quit Don't Starve – unlike real life where the mosquito buzzing in your bedroom at 2 AM won't kindly pause. 😄