BOISE IDAHO PEST INFORMATION: MOSQUITOES

Mosquito Identification

The Mosquito is a type of fly. Mosquitoes are not only a nuisance when they bite, but they can actually transmit diseases as well. The name mosquito comes from the Spanish word for “tiny fly” as these insects not only resemble the fly but are also a close relative.

An adult Mosquito has long legs, a long narrow abdomen, and a proboscis. Its wings are short and transparent. It looks clumsy in flight, but can be difficult to catch in the air. Females are the biters; males only drink nectar. Females need the protein found in blood to make eggs, so while they also drink nectar, hemoglobin is still necessary for reproduction. Mosquito saliva contains chemicals that slow the clotting of blood. A female can quickly fill a special stomach with blood if the host has high blood pressure, which helps pump blood out faster once the mouth parts have pierced skin.

In 2019, the Ada County Mosquito Abatement District confirmed the presence of the West Nile Virus in mosquito populations for the first time. One pool of mosquitoes tested positive for the virus.

Culex Pipiens Mosquito

Although there are fourteen species of mosquitoes found in ADA County, there is one species that is know to carry and transmit the West Nile Virus. This is the Culex species and the varieties found in ADA County are Culex tarsalis and Culex pipiens.

These mosquitoes love to breed in stagnant water.  They over-winter as eggs and West Nile Virus remains viable to be passed on when the mosquitoes hatch in the spring.

Biology and Behavior
  • Adult females will sometimes enter buildings where they readily bite humans.
  • Culex pipiens larvae thrive in such containers of stagnant water the more polluted with organic material the better.
  • In late summer and early autumn these mosquitoes forego the blood meals and instead fuel up on nectar or other sugary fluids storing it as fat in their body.
  • In winter they prefer safe hiding places including culverts barns stables garages basements and sheds.
Snow Mosquito

The Snow Mosquito is a special species of mosquito commonly limited to northern portions of the United States. The Snow Mosquito differs from regular summertime mosquitoes in ways that include staying active during the winter months while their counterparts remain dormant or die. Snow Mosquitoes have scales on their bodies. These scales usually appear brown or black which are coupled with another set of scales that are lighter in color; perhaps white, gray or yellow.

Biology and Behavior
  • When looked at microscopically the female’s mouthparts are modified to feed on blood
  • while the male’s mouthparts are modified to feed on nectar. Like other mosquito species the females feed on blood in order to get the protein they need to make eggs.
  • Aedes aegypti mosquitoes lay their eggs in areas of standing water. Common places that they lay their eggs include inside of tires flower pots buckets trash cans ponds bird bath pet dishes tree cavities and in clogged gutters.
  • Aedes aegypti mosquito eggs can withstand drying out and can survive without water for several months on the inner walls of containers and in other dry areas. They are a highly resilient species of mosquito.

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