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Aedes aegypti
Yellow Fever Mosquito
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Aedes aegypti
(Yellow Fever Mosquito) |
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Lyre shaped, silvery-white
markings on back |
Aedes aegypti was commonly found around Jacksonville before the arrival of the Asian Tiger Mosquito. Now, we rarely collect the mosquito when trapping. It seems to prefer the older, more established areas of Jacksonville, including Downtown, Springfield and San Marco. It is more commonly known worldwide as the Yellow Fever Mosquito and was responsible for the Yellow Fever epidemic in 1888 that resulted in Jacksonville being quarantined.
Description: Aedes aegypti is a small, dark to black scaled mosquito. The most visible feature is the silvery, lyre shaped design on its back and its black and white striped legs.
Home: Aedes aegypti breeds in containers that hold water such as buckets, tires, child pools, bird baths, pet dishes, children's toys and even bromeliads. It only takes about one teaspoon of water for a larvae to live and develop into an adult mosquito! The adult mosquito does not fly far from its breeding site, maybe up to 500 feet, or two back yards.
Feeding: This mosquito is opportunistic, feeding on whatever is available, but it prefers mammals. It is also very sneaky; in most cases, you never know you are being bitten until it is too late. These mosquitoes are one of the few active during the day.
Reduction/Elimination: It is fairly easy to prevent the Yellow Fever Mosquito from breeding on your property. Dump all containers that hold water at least twice a week. If your container is large or heavy, flushing it out with clean water will help. Also scrub the sides of the containers to loosen any attached eggs, then flush with clean water.
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