Apart from Antarctica, there is no corner of this world where you wouldn’t find mosquitoes. To date, over 3,000 species of mosquitoes have be determined by researchers to exist, and this species fall into 39 genera. The United State, Canada and Mexico is home to over 174 of this species. Mosquitoes and their different species all feed and behave differently. Of the several types of mosquitoes that live in the United States, 4 are the commonest – the Asian tiger mosquito, the house mosquito, the yellow fever mosquito and the southern mosquito.
Asia tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus)
The Asian tiger mosquito can be easily identified by stripes of silver color which covers its legs, thorax and abdomen. The female Asian tiger mosquito feeds at any time of the day, be it daytime or nighttime. Males only feed on plant nectar.
Other species of mosquitoes belonging to the Aedes genera display similar patterns of feeding and breeding. The females, when they lay eggs do so on standing water that is free of dirt. You will mostly find them on standing water contained in flowerpots and birdbaths. If environmental conditions are right, and temperatures are favorable, it only takes a couple of hours for eggs laid on bare land to hatch after being washed with water. Their wings are only strong enough to carry them through short distances usually about a mile or so.
Asian tiger mosquitoes were nowhere near the United States until 1985. Before then, the major type of mosquito that ravaged the United States was the yellow fever mosquito. Contrary to popular opinions, the Asian Tiger Mosquitoes transmit as much as 30 viruses out of which a 5 to 6 affect humans. This was discovered by researchers at University of Florida. Some of the diseases Asian Tiger mosquitoes transmit through their bites include Dengue fever, encephalitis virus, Cache Valley Virus, equine encephalitis, St. Louis and LaCrosse. But Asian tiger mosquito isn’t the only mosquito in the family of Aedes that transmits diseases.
House Mosquito (Culex)
House mosquito is just a generic name given to certain species of mosquitoes. The commonest of them are the Culex Restauns and Culex Pipiens.
Culex Pipiens: Of the various mosquitos and their different species, no mosquito specie ravages Northern America as Culex Pipiens does. They can be easily identified by their brown abdomen covered in white stripes. They mostly live on stagnant water that has become stale and polluted. Their favorite breeding site include pet dishes, birdbaths and old tires. The female is capable of laying as much as 400 eggs at once. The eggs would then have to wait to 10 to 14 days before hatching, though may take longer in some cases.
Culex restauns: This specie of mosquito feeds and breed in the same was as Culex Pipiens. They are mostly found in the Eastern part of the United States.
Yellow fever mosquito
For centuries now, the yellow fever mosquito has ravaged the United States. Most of the American soldiers that lost their lives during the Spanish-American war were actually killed by yellow fever and not the war itself. The yellow fever mosquito shares the same breeding and feeding pattern with the Asian tiger mosquito because they are of the same genus – the Aedes. Following the arrival of Asian tiger mosquitoes in the United States, yellow fever mosquitoes have seen their population drop significantly. You will mostly find yellow fever mosquitoes in southern part of Florida, the coast of Louisiana, and Texas, as well as other cities in Southern America, particularly in places like New York.