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There's a principle that if you are pained from sitting in the sukkah you are exempt from eating in it. The typical applicaiton of this ruling is when it rains.

In my back yard we have a lot of mosquitos. In warm weather you can get around 5 nasty bites in just sitting there for 5 minutes. Is this enough of a reason to exempt you from eating in the sukkah?

Would this sukkah be posul (invalid) altogether because it was built in a place with a lot of mosquitos?

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  • Sounds like a reason to get some mosquito nets. Most people aren't even sleeping in a sukkah anymore. If one doesn't even eat in it anymore, why even have a sukkah?
    – Aaron
    Sep 30, 2015 at 1:30
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    You can get mosquito coils. Here in Houston, particularly after rains like we have had this Succos, the mosquitos can be bad. But solutions like mosquito coils can make it possible to eat a complete meal in the succah. As to location, if that is where you live, you don't have a lot of choice regarding where you put your succah.
    – Dennis
    Sep 30, 2015 at 1:58
  • One can also buy a bug zapper which also emits carbon dioxide (the substance in one's breath that attracts biting insects, as opposed to non-biting insects that are attracted by light).
    – Avi Keslinger
    Oct 1, 2015 at 5:37

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Mosquitoes are considered pained. They are specifically mentioned by name is the Shulchan Orech as 'Yitushim'.

As you guessed, the sukkah is not kosher because it was built in such a place you have this issue.

As always, ask your local Rabbi for a definitive ruling.

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    Citing sources for your claims would vastly improve your answer.
    – msh210 ♦
    Sep 30, 2015 at 12:55

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