Chilly, autumn nights drive female Northern House Mosquitoes indoors where they overwinter until springtime.
In warm seasons, Northern House Mosquitoes live outdoors, and females take bloodmeals from a variety of animals like cows, horses, birds and squirrels, but they also feed on people and pets if present. Males do not take blood, and both sexes drink juices from plants. Males have feathery antennae. Females have light bands around their abdominal segments. Both are golden brown and light brown.
Activity begins in spring and is at its peak in summer, but females in warm, sheltered places may also feed during the winter when hosts are available. Houses provide both shelter and hosts, so finding a living mosquito indoors during the coldest months of the year is possible. A female that has mated overwinters and lays her fertilized eggs in standing water once spring arrives and the weather has warmed enough to thaw ponds and puddles.
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Diptera
Family:Culicidae
Genus:Culex
Species:pipiens
Identifying Information
Scientific Name: Culex pipiens
Category:
Fly or Mosquito
Size (Adult; Length): 11mm to 15mm (0.43in to 0.59in)
Note: An insect's reach is not limited by lines drawn on a map and therefore species may appear in areas, regions and/or states beyond those listed above as they are driven by environmental factors (such as climate change), available food supplies and mating patterns. Grayed-out selections indicate that the subject in question has not been reported in that particular territory. U.S. states and Canadian provinces / territories are clickable to their respective bug listings.
Colors: brown; tan
