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There’s not much worse than being outside and experiencing the buzz and bite of mosquitoes. Plus, you suddenly have welts on your skin from where the annoying pests got you. But did you realize that not all types of mosquitoes are identical?
Some kinds of mosquitoes are bothersome bloodsuckers hunting for their next meal, others carry serious diseases, but some are totally harmless. Keep reading to find out from the pest control experts at Kapp’s Green Lawn which kinds of mosquitoes are dangerous and how to tell one type from another.
There are over 3,000 mosquito species around the globe. Of those, about 200 call the
United States home. That’s a lot! But
before you begin looking at places to stay in Antarctica to avoid the problem altogether, there’s good news. Only a small subset of these mosquitoes poses serious health risks.
The four main categories of mosquitoes are Aedes, Culex, Anopheles, and Culiseta. Each has its own preferred biting times, favorite hosts, diseases it can transmit, favorite breeding spots, and geographic locations. And remember, not all mosquitoes bite humans. Some prefer birds, some go for other mammals, and several species don’t even bite.
These guys are highly adapted to human environments. And unlike many mosquito species, Aedes are active during the day. If you’re outside gardening or grilling, they can ruin your good time. Even worse? They prefer human blood over animal blood.
With roughly 450 species worldwide, these nighttime biters are the only mosquitoes capable of transmitting human malaria.
This type of mosquito isn’t talked about as much because it’s found primarily in cooler regions. They’re also considered a lower risk to humans.
This category of mosquitoes prefers feeding from dusk to dawn. They’re the ones we often associate with annoying us inside our homes and hanging around stagnant or polluted water (storm drains, sewers, neglected pools, etc.). Worst of all, Culex mosquitoes are the primary carriers of West Nile virus in the United States.
Here’s a crazy-but-true fact: Only female mosquitoes bite! Males are perfectly content sipping nectar, plant sap, and honeydew. However, females need blood for egg development.
Female mosquitoes can detect carbon dioxide emitted from warm-blooded animals over long distances. As they fly upwind toward a host, other cues play a part in their targeting. That includes their vision, moist air currents rising from the host, and specific odors emitted by people.
Females of most mosquito types are attracted to warm-blooded animals. The most common hosts include birds and mammals, though females of several species take blood from reptiles and frogs.
Females of most species tend to restrict feeding to particular periods of the daily cycle. Blood feeding is most common at twilight into early evening, but can also occur during warm mornings and on cloudy days.
Obviously, seeing mosquitoes and getting bitten are reasons to contact your local team of pest control specialists. You don’t want swarms of biting pests ruining your outdoor time. But there are less obvious things that attract or point to the presence of mosquitoes.
Effective mosquito control requires several complementary techniques.
Identifying breeding sources is crucial because different species breed in different habitats. Culex mosquitoes love dirty water in storm drains. Aedes mosquitoes prefer clean water in containers. Anopheles mosquitoes need freshwater with vegetation. Knowing which species you’re dealing with helps you target the right breeding sites.
Seasonal awareness helps you time your efforts. In most of the U.S., mosquito season runs from spring through fall, with peak activity in summer. But in warmer southern states, mosquitoes can be a year-round concern.
Habitat disruption is your first line of defense. Eliminate standing water wherever possible. This prevents larvae from developing. Try your best to empty birdbaths weekly, clean gutters, dispose of any old items sitting in your yard, and make sure outdoor furniture easily drains.
Remember, mosquitoes can breed in surprisingly small amounts of water. Even a bottle cap left outside can start a new generation of these winged pests.
Chemical suppression is necessary when preventative or DIY efforts don’t work. Use insecticides against adults and/or larvae when appropriate, following all label instructions. Trusting professional pest control experts ensures that the insecticides are applied as effectively as possible.
Personal protection is key as well. For instance, you should wear protective, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing and use EPA-registered repellents. If possible, avoid outdoor activities in areas and times when mosquitoes are most active.
Mosquito misidentification is common, even in media reports and news stories. That “mosquito” you saw in a documentary might actually be a crane fly (which doesn’t bite at all). So how do professionals tell these tiny insects apart?
Pattern. Look at the mosquito’s coloring. Black-and-white striping, especially on the legs, is typically Aedes. More uniform coloring, like brown or gray, is probably a Culex or Anopheles mosquito.
Palps. These are the sensory organs near the mosquito’s mouth. In Anopheles mosquitoes, the palps are long and prominent, roughly as long as the proboscis. In Aedes and Culex mosquitoes, the palps are much shorter.
Posture. This is actually one of the easiest ways to ID a mosquito. When an Anopheles mosquito lands and rests, it holds its body in a straight-line posture (abdomen angled upward). Aedes and Culex mosquitoes, on the other hand, form a hunched “V” shape when they rest.
Leading mosquito control initiatives achieve maximum impact by customizing their approach. It’s all about targeting the specific pests in our region. This methodology is highly strategic. It involves treating water sources to target larvae, actively managing adult populations, and altering the landscape to remove breeding grounds.
In addition, innovative modern solutions are now capable of breaking the reproductive chain, which halts development and leads to a sustained decline in mosquitoes around your property.
Ready to protect your home, lawn, or business? Kapp’s Green Lawn provides identification and elimination of mosquito breeding sites as well as ongoing monitoring. We proudly serve communities in the Midwest, ensuring high-quality lawn care services in these areas: