THE COMMON MOSQUITOES OF MINNESOTA 



C. W. HOWARD 



There is a growing demand in Minnesota for information about 

 mosquitoes whicii will aid in work to be carried out for their control. 

 During the past four years collections and ol)servations have been 

 made whenever possible, and particularly so during the summer 

 of 1916 in connection with the Minneapolis Mosquito Campaign. 

 Reference Ijooks on mosquitoes are not easily accessible to those 

 not in close touch with a large library and the study of mosquitoes 

 is so new that the multiplicity of names and of s])ecies would prob- 

 ably confuse the layman, h^or these reasons, a preliminary account 

 of the commonest and most important Minnesota mosquitoes may 

 be of use to those interested in anti-mosquito work. 



In this account it will be taken for granted that the reader is 

 familiar with the fundamental facts of mosquito life. If not. Bulle- 

 tin No. 55 of the Farmer's Library Series of the ]\Iinnesota Experi- 

 ment Station should be secured, or the Tenlli Annual Report of 

 the ^linnesota State Entomologist for 1905. 



There have been twenty species of mosquitoes recorded so far 

 from this state, only eleven of which seem to be common. Further 

 collections will probably produce several more and to the list might 

 be added one or two species which are non-bloodsucking and are 

 not considered as true mosquitoes, in spite of their close similarity 

 in appearance. 



The habits of each species of mosquitoes vary and to control it 

 efficientlv these must be known. It is necessary to be able to 

 recognize common species, and for this one must be somewhat 

 familiar with the grosser morphology. It is also often necessary 

 to determine the species of a mosquito while it is still in the larva 

 stage without waiting for the adult to emerge. The accompanying 

 diagrams of an adult mosquito and a larval mosquito will give 

 these points much better than by a \\Titten descri{)tion. 



No mention will be made of the pupa stage. It is so similar in 

 all of the mosquitoes as to ofifer no easy means of identification of 

 species. Whenever pupae are found, larvae will also be present and 

 can be collected as easily. 



In studying mosquitoes the larvae can be dipped up with small 

 nets made of tea strainers over which a piece of fine cheese cloth 

 has been sewn. From this thev should be at once transferred to a 



