Mosquito Life Cycle

Mosquitoes undergo complete metamorphosis during their life cycle: egg, larvae, pupae, and adult. The first three of these stages are spent in the water. A mosquito can go from egg to adult mosquito in about 7 days, depending on species and environment.

Mosquito Habitats

Each mosquito has its own preferred larval habitat, season, and blood meal hosts.

There are 23 different species of mosquito in Durham

Scientific NameCommon Name
Aedes bicristatusSnowpool mosquito
Aedes fitchiiSnowpool mosquito
Aedes increpitusSnowpool mosquito
Aedes melanimonIrrigated pasture mosquito
Aedes nigromaculisIrrigated pasture mosquito
Aedes sierrensisWestern treehole mosquito
Aedes vexansInland floodwater mosquito
Anopheles franciscanusNo common name
Anopheles feeborniWestern malaria mosquito
Anopheles occidentalisNo common name
Anopheles punctipennisWoodland malaria mosquito
Culex apicalisNo common name
Culex bohartiBohart’s mosquito
Culex erythrothoraxTule mosquito
Culex pipiensNorthern house mosquito
Culex stigmatosomaBanded foul water mosquito
Culex tarsalisWestern encephalitis mosquito
Culex territansNo common name
Culex thriambusNo common name
Culiseta incidensCool weather mosquito
Culiseta inornataLarge winter mosquito
Culiseta particepsNo common name
Orthopodomyia signiferaWhite-lined mosquito
Coquillettidia perturbansCattail mosquito

 Invasive Mosquitoes

Statewide efforts are focused on invasive Aedes surveillance and control, speeding up the laboratory testing, new control techniques and outreach to the public regarding invasive Aedes species and new emerging viruses.

Aedes aegyptiAedes aegypti

Aedes albopictusAedes albopictus