![Aedes Mosquitoes](https://hollomanexterminators.com/images/pestlibrary/aedes-mosquitoes/featured.webp "featured image") # Aedes Mosquitoes *Aedes aegypti* & *Aedes albopictus* - [Pest Library](https://hollomanexterminators.com/pest-library) / Mosquitoes *Aedes aegypti* and *Aedes albopictus* are the day-biting mosquitoes behind dengue, Zika and chikungunya. They lay eggs one at a time on the dry rim of a container, just above the waterline, and those eggs can survive for months. Dumping the water once does not end it. ## Seasonal Timeline Bites primarily during the day, most active in the early morning and late afternoon, unlike the dusk-and-night pattern of other mosquitoes. In warm subtropical and tropical zones, both species breed continuously all year. In temperate northern regions, shortened autumn day length triggers egg diapause, which keeps active adult flight to roughly May through October. **Peak season (temperate regions)**May–Oct JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec Bites primarily during the day, most active in the early morning and late afternoon, unlike the dusk-and-night pattern of other mosquitoes.… Egg diapause kicks in once autumn day length drops below about 13.5 hours of light, which is what sets the May-to-October window in the temperate regions above. Where winters never bring that kind of photoperiod drop, such as South Florida, the Gulf Coast and Southern California, both species keep breeding straight through winter. ## Where They're Found *Aedes albopictus*, the Asian tiger mosquito, is the one most homeowners will actually meet: it is established broadly across more than a thousand US counties, reaching through the Southeast, South Central, Midwest, Northeast and California, with isolated introductions near tire recycling facilities in the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest. *Aedes aegypti*, the yellow fever mosquito, is concentrated across the southern tier, with persistent populations in Florida, the Gulf Coast, Texas, urban Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Southern California, and it is the more efficient disease vector of the two because it prefers biting people over other animals. **Hawaii and Alaska sit outside the mainland regions shown on the map below**, so they are called out here instead. Both species are established in Hawaii: *Aedes albopictus* is present across all the major islands, and *Aedes aegypti* persists in warm, dry leeward pockets of the Island of Hawaii. Neither species is established in Alaska. Subarctic winters prevent both from overwintering there, so the state carries no local risk of Aedes-driven disease transmission. ## Related Pests [ Anopheles Mosquitoes ](https://hollomanexterminators.com/pest-library/anopheles-mosquitoes) [ Culex Mosquitoes ](https://hollomanexterminators.com/pest-library/culex-mosquitoes) [ Mosquitoes ](https://hollomanexterminators.com/pest-library/mosquitoes) ## Life Cycle The whole cycle can finish in about a week in summer heat, same as every mosquito. What is different here is the egg. Because it survives drying and hatches in batches as it gets wet again and again, one container can keep producing for months after you think you cleared it. ![Aedes mosquito eggs laid singly along the dry inner wall of a container](https://hollomanexterminators.com/images/pestlibrary/aedes-mosquitoes/egg.webp "egg image") ### Egg[2](#credit-2) Laid one at a time on the inside wall of a container, just above the waterline, not in a floating raft. They survive drying for months (*Ae. aegypti*) to as long as a year (*Ae. albopictus*), which is why a single clean-out rarely finishes the job. ![Aedes aegypti larvae hanging at the water surface, siphon visible](https://hollomanexterminators.com/images/pestlibrary/aedes-mosquitoes/larva.webp "larva image") ### Larva[1](#credit-1) Four instars in the water, same as every mosquito. The rear breathing tube, or siphon, is short and stout with a single pair of hair tufts here, distinctly different from the long, slender, multi-tufted siphon on a Culex larva. ![Comma-shaped Aedes pupa in container water](https://hollomanexterminators.com/images/pestlibrary/aedes-mosquitoes/pupa.webp "pupa image") ### Pupa[3](#credit-3) Two days or so to an adult, non-feeding the whole time. Bti, the larvicide of choice, works by poisoning larvae that eat it, so it has no effect on a pupa that is not feeding at all. ![Adult Aedes mosquito with black-and-white banded legs](https://hollomanexterminators.com/images/pestlibrary/aedes-mosquitoes/adult.webp "adult image") ### Adult[1](#credit-1) Two to four weeks, mating soon after emergence. Look at the thorax to tell the two species apart: *Ae. aegypti* carries a lyre-shaped pair of curved white lines, and *Ae. albopictus* carries one straight white stripe down the center, the mark that gives the tiger mosquito its name. ## Identification ### Two species, told apart at the thorax Two species matter in the US and they are told apart at the thorax. ***Aedes aegypti*** carries a pale, lyre- or violin-shaped pattern, two curved white lines meeting in a narrow waist. ***Aedes albopictus***, the Asian tiger mosquito, carries one straight white stripe down the center instead, which is the simpler, bolder mark that earned it the name. ### Banded hind legs on both Both species also carry prominent black-and-white banded tarsal segments on the hind legs, and this one does hold up as a field mark, not just folk wisdom. Major urban *Culex* mosquitoes have plain, unbanded, brownish legs, so tarsal banding combined with the thorax pattern is a reliable way to separate a domestic *Aedes* from a common urban *Culex*. ### Which one you will actually see *Aedes albopictus* is the one most homeowners will actually see. It is established far more widely than *Ae. aegypti*, which is more concentrated in the South and Southwest. *Ae. aegypti* is still the more important species for disease risk where it persists, because it prefers biting people specifically, while *Ae. albopictus* feeds more opportunistically on whatever host is nearby. ### The larvae in the water In the water, the larvae carry a rear breathing tube, or siphon, that is also diagnostic. *Aedes* larvae have a short, stout siphon with a single pair of hair tufts, while *Culex* larvae carry a noticeably longer, slender siphon with multiple hair tufts. Both rule out *Anopheles*, which has no siphon at all and rests flat against the water surface instead of hanging at an angle. ## Signs of Infestation ### Check the dry rim, not just the water Check the dry rim of containers, not just the water. Aedes eggs are laid singly on the inside wall just above the waterline, not floating in a raft. An inspector who only looks at the water surface misses them. ### Daytime bites, especially around the ankles Vector control districts call these species "ankle biters" for exactly this reason, and they will follow a person indoors to keep feeding rather than staying outside. ### Any small container counts Buckets, saucers under pots, discarded tires, bird baths, clogged gutters, tree holes, even a bottle cap. If it can hold a tablespoon of water for a few days, it can raise a brood. ### One clean-out is not the end of it Eggs stuck to a dry container rim survive for months, sometimes close to a year, and hatch in batches as the container refills. Every rain can start another round. ## Prevention and When to Call a Pro ### Scrub the container, do not just drain Because these eggs sit on the dry rim of a container rather than floating in the water, **draining the water is not enough by itself.** Scrub or wipe the inside walls too, or the eggs stuck there will simply wait for the next rain. ### Weekly beats occasional Same rule as every mosquito. Change water in pet dishes, bird baths and saucers every week. Empty and turn over anything that is not in use. Fill tree holes with sand or mortar. Screen or seal rain barrel access points. ### Good news for this genus The good news is genuinely good news for this genus specifically. Aedes mosquitoes are weak fliers, generally staying within about a quarter mile of where they hatched. Unlike mosquitoes that range for miles, an Aedes problem is almost always coming from a container on your own property or your immediate neighbor's, which makes a focused inspection a lot more likely to actually solve it. ### How Bti works, and its limit Bti (*Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis*) works the same way it does for every mosquito: it is a stomach poison that only kills larvae that eat it, and it has no effect on pupae, which do not feed at all. Repellents, screens and what does not work (zappers, wristbands, ultrasonic devices) are covered on the Mosquitoes overview page and apply here unchanged. ### Call your vector control district Call your county mosquito and vector control district first if you are dealing with a mosquito problem beyond your own yard. For this genus specifically, the short flight range means a private inspection that finds the actual container source has a real shot at solving the problem outright, not just knocking numbers down temporarily. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the difference between Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus? Look at the thorax. Aedes aegypti has a pale, lyre-shaped marking; Aedes albopictus has a single straight white stripe. Albopictus is far more widespread in the US, while aegypti is more concentrated in the South and Southwest and is the more efficient disease vector because it prefers biting people specifically. ### Do Aedes mosquitoes really bite during the day? Yes, and this is one of the few mosquito genera where that claim actually holds up. They are most active in the early morning and late afternoon, though night biting is not ruled out entirely. ### How far can these mosquitoes fly from where they hatched? Not far. They are weak fliers, generally staying within about a quarter mile of the breeding site, which is much shorter than some other mosquitoes. That means the source of an Aedes problem is almost always close by. ### I dumped the water and the larvae came back. Why? Aedes eggs are laid one at a time on the dry inner wall of a container, just above the waterline, not floating in the water. Dumping the water alone leaves those eggs stuck to the rim, ready to hatch the next time it rains or the container refills. They can survive dry for months. ### Can Zika really spread person to person, not just by mosquito bite? Yes. Zika can also be transmitted sexually, from an infected person to a partner, even without symptoms, and it can cross the placenta during pregnancy. Mosquito bites remain the main route, but it is not the only one. ## Photo Gallery [ ![Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, biting exposed skin with white-banded legs visible](https://hollomanexterminators.com/images/pestlibrary/aedes-mosquitoes/aedes-mosquitoes-biting-skin-1.webp "aedes-mosquitoes-biting-skin-1 image") ](https://hollomanexterminators.com/images/pestlibrary/aedes-mosquitoes/aedes-mosquitoes-biting-skin-1.webp)An Aedes albopictus female feeding, showing the sharply banded legs used to tell this genus apart from a plain brown Culex on sight. [ ![Close-up of an Aedes albopictus mosquito feeding on human skin, dark body pattern visible](https://hollomanexterminators.com/images/pestlibrary/aedes-mosquitoes/aedes-mosquitoes-biting-skin-2.webp "aedes-mosquitoes-biting-skin-2 image") ](https://hollomanexterminators.com/images/pestlibrary/aedes-mosquitoes/aedes-mosquitoes-biting-skin-2.webp)A closer angle on the same biting behavior, with the dark, high-contrast body pattern typical of Aedes albopictus. [ ![Aedes albopictus mosquito standing on a water surface with its white leg bands reflected below](https://hollomanexterminators.com/images/pestlibrary/aedes-mosquitoes/aedes-mosquitoes-resting-on-water-1.webp "aedes-mosquitoes-resting-on-water-1 image") ](https://hollomanexterminators.com/images/pestlibrary/aedes-mosquitoes/aedes-mosquitoes-resting-on-water-1.webp)An adult Aedes albopictus resting on standing water, the kind of container or puddle surface this genus breeds in. [ ![Overhead view of an Aedes albopictus mosquito perched above still water near a blade of grass](https://hollomanexterminators.com/images/pestlibrary/aedes-mosquitoes/aedes-mosquitoes-resting-on-water-overhead.webp "aedes-mosquitoes-resting-on-water-overhead image") ](https://hollomanexterminators.com/images/pestlibrary/aedes-mosquitoes/aedes-mosquitoes-resting-on-water-overhead.webp)An overhead view of the same species poised over still water, legs splayed across the surface tension. ## Sources 1. [Yellow Fever Mosquito, Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus)](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN792) University of Florida IFAS Featured Creatures, EENY-434/IN792 2. [Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse)](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN594) University of Florida IFAS Featured Creatures, EENY-319/IN594 3. [Potential Range of Aedes Mosquitoes](https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/php/toolkit/potential-range-of-aedes.html) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 4. [How Dengue Spreads](https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/transmission/index.html) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 5. [Sexual Transmission of Zika Virus](https://www.cdc.gov/zika/hcp/sexual-transmission/index.html) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 6. [About Chikungunya Virus](https://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/about/index.html) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 7. [Chikungunya](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chikungunya) World Health Organization 8. [Zika Virus, Questions and Answers](https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/zika) World Health Organization ### Image Credits 1. Image: NPMA. Used under NPMA member image license. 2. Image: CDC, Public Health Image Library 5129, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. 3. Image: CDC, Public Health Image Library 20204. Public domain. ## Related Pests [ Anopheles Mosquitoes ](https://hollomanexterminators.com/pest-library/anopheles-mosquitoes) [ Culex Mosquitoes ](https://hollomanexterminators.com/pest-library/culex-mosquitoes) [ Mosquitoes ](https://hollomanexterminators.com/pest-library/mosquitoes)