Winter - what better time to talk about mosquitoes in Montana?
Author: Jessica Bushnell, Broadwater County Weed and Mosquito Control
Winter - What Better Time to Talk about Mosquitoes in Montana?
Jessica Bushnell
Broadwater County Weed and Mosquito Control
As winter finally arrives, what better time to talk about mosquitoes in Montana?
Montana is home to 50 species of mosquitoes. The genus Aedes accounts for the largest percentage of species in Montana. The most prolific biter is Aedes vexans, which gets its name from the fact that it vexes everyone with its aggressive feeding. Traps in the county collected over 50,000 A. vexans in one night. Luckily, this trap is located outside the Townsend mosquito district.
Broadwater County Mosquito Department plans our trap locations to monitor West Nile Virus (WNV), decide where to start treatment operations, and collaborate with Carroll College on their vector testing and monitoring efforts. The two most important species for transmitting diseases are Qulex tarsalis and Qulex pipens. These species transmit WNV and other mosquito-borne illnesses. Some other species in Montana are rarely encountered by people. These species have more specific blood sources or habitats, such as feeding on rodents or reptiles, or hatching from snowmelt pools or in tree holes.
Worldwide, there are over 3,500 species of mosquitoes. Some are incredibly beautiful, with vibrant colors or flashy body parts, while most are quite similar, with subtle differences in their features.
Mosquito professionals face unique challenges. Some species act like invasive species. For example, Canyon County Mosquito Abatement District in Nampa, ID, collected an Aedes aegypti in a trap this September. Aedes aegypti can carry more serious diseases such as yellow fever, dengue fever, and the Zika virus. Ae. aegypti thrives in urban habitats, preferring to get its blood meal from people and completing its entire life cycle in the city. It is expected that more of these invasive species will be found in the future as new information and data on plant and animal movement become available.
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PhotoCredit: Jessica Bushnell
Image 1 Caption: Mosquitos caught in a mosquito trap
