Mosquito (Aedes species)

Expand all

More names for this insect

Anishinaabemowin: Zagime (mosquito)

Dakota: Çapoŋka (mosquito)

The Dakota and Anishinaabe were among the earliest people to name Minnesota’s plants and animals, as well as to understand them in relation to Minnesota’s climate and seasons. Those original names are still in use, and several are included on the Season Watch website. While other kinds of mosquitoes are native to Minnesota, the genus Aedes was introduced, probably in the 1980s.

Latin (or scientific name): Aedes (Aedes is the name of a genus with many species.)

The scientific community has a convention of assigning agreed-upon Latin names to every kind of organism. Using scientific names helps people communicate confidently about the same organism and organize lifeforms based on how closely related they are.

Page contents

About mosquitoes

Visual guide to phenology

Graphs and historical data

More resources

A mosquito on a cluster of green flowers. The mosquito has fuzzy upper parts, a long mouthpart, and six long, spindly, angular legs.
Inland floodwater mosquito
May 4, 2019, Washington, DC
Photo by Katja Schulz via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

About mosquitoes

  • In Minnesota there are fifty-one species of mosquitoes. Many of those belong to the genus Aedes, which was introduced to the United States in the 1980s.
  • Adult mosquitoes are active throughout summer and into early fall.
  • Many species of mosquito go through several generations each summer.
  • Male mosquitoes feed on flower nectar. Females feed on the blood of humans and other animals.
  • It takes about ten days for mosquito larvae to reach adulthood.
  • Fun fact: Some mosquito species prefer the blood of humans, but other species prefer the blood of non-human animals.

Visual guide to phenology

Watch for mosquitoes' presence (or absence) and abundance at different times of year.

Expand all

Note to observers

This page explains general clues to watch and listen for when observing mosquito phenology. However, this page does not explain how to identify this insect or collect data in a standardized way.

  • Consult a field guide for help with identification.
  • For guidance on collecting data, see Nature’s Notebook.
Thousands of mosquito larvae are tiny brown spots in this photo looking down into shallow, clear water.
Two mosquito larvae are centered in this photo that looks down into shallow, clear water.
Photo of an adult mosquito emerging from its pupa on the water's surface.
Adult mosquito standing on the surface of water, shortly after emerging. It has a long stiff mouthpart, two antennae that are slightly hairy, two black eyes, and flat gray wings that are folded.
Close-up of a mosquito standiung on white woven fabric. It has spindly, segmented legs and a long stiff mouthpart.

Graphs and historical data

Note: The Orientation Center provides a map, as well as information on reading graphs; interpreting summary statistics, who collected the data and how; and how to download datasets for independent exploration.


Hubbard County

First seen

  • Earliest: March 17 (occurred in 2012)
  • Average: April 22
  • Latest: May 26 (occurred in 2002)
Scatterplot showing mosquito phenology observations in Hubbard County, Minnesota

Download this dataset (.csv file)

Graph explainer available

 

More resources

Listen to KAXE/KBXE broadcasts tagged "mosquitoes"

 

Expand all

Keep exploring Season Watch

Gray circular icon with illustrations of a magnifying lens, a frog, and a conifer twig.

Explore page
State of Minnesota

Minnesota places
Circular icon with an illustrated flower, sun, falling leaf, and snowflake to represent the four seasons

Times of year

Co-author: Lynsey Nass, Minnesota Master Naturalist