DOMESTIC MOSQUITOES 



should be borne in mind that other kinds of mosquitoes may breed 

 near houses and may enter buildings and attack man, as in the case of 

 malaria mosquitoes. Some of the control measures, such as screens 

 and sprays, mentioned for use against domestic mosquitoes may be 

 useful in protecting man from the attack of other species found in 

 houses. 



Among the other kinds of mosquitoes not treated herein, some 

 breed in tree holes and pools and others in the edges of lakes, on 

 irrigated meadows, in 

 swamps, and in salt 

 marshes. Although 

 many of these will bite 

 people viciously, they are 

 not closely associated 

 with man, and their con- 

 trol cannot be accom- 

 plished through individ- 

 ual effort but requires 

 concerted community 

 action. 



Of the three domestic 

 species the northern 

 house mosquito (Culex 

 pipiens L.) is widely dis- 

 tributed in the northern 

 half of the country and 

 in Canada, while the 

 other two, the southern 

 house mosquito (C. quin- 

 quefasciatus Say) and the 

 yellow-fever mosquito 

 (Aedes aegypti (L.)), are 

 commonly met with in 

 the South. The northern 

 house mosquito (fig. 1) 

 and the southern house 

 mosquito resemble each 

 other closely in appear- 

 ance and habits. They 

 are both pale brown, 

 with whitish bands across 

 the base of the abdominal segments, but otherwise without con- 

 spicuous bands or other markings. The yellow-fever mosquito (fig. 2) 

 is very dark colored, with a silvery lyre-shaped jnark on its back and 

 with silvery bands across the abdomen and legs. 



Seriousness of the Mosquito Problem 



Domestic mosquitoes breed in great numbers in towns and cities; 

 in fact, because of their severe annoyance to man, they often con- 

 stitute the major mosquito problem in large cities. When abundant, 

 they also cause considerable worry to poultry and livestock. 



These mosquitoes can carry certain parasitic worms that attack 

 man, and they may have some part in the transmission of heart 



Figure 2. — The yellow-fever mosquito. Adult 

 female. About 14 times natural size. 



