Lucky for Minnesota, our most common mosquito species is not a carrier of disease. The most common mosquito-borne disease found in Minnesota is West Nile Virus , which is carried by Culex tarsalis. Culex tarsalis picks up the virus when it bites birds in the spring and then passes the disease along to humans when it bites them in the summer.
You make MPR News possible. Individual donations are behind the clarity in coverage from our reporters across the state, stories that connect us, and conversations that provide perspectives. Help ensure MPR remains a resource that brings Minnesotans together. Donate today. Share Twitter Facebook Email. Females lay their eggs in bunches called "rafts.
Once the eggs hatch, the larvae or "wigglers" swim around and eat bits of organic matter floating around in the water. You can sometimes see them at the surface of water -- they are small and their bodies move in a S-shaped motion. The larvae go through four growth stages called "instars" before they molt into the pupa stage. The pupal stage lasts to two to three days. Then, a week after the eggs hatched, adult mosquitoes emerge from the water.
Two days after emerging, female mosquitoes are ready to track you down and suck some blood so they can go make more mosquitoes. The male mosquitoes just hang out and eat flower nectar or plant juices.
Most mosquitoes stay close to where they were hatched so they can raise another brood. Some mosquito species only have one generation each year. Others can have four or more! In the winter, most mosquitoes survive as eggs in the soil.
These eggs are in a dormant stage called "diapause" which prevents them from hatching if it floods. They'll only hatch out of the diapause stage when the day length gets longer. Some adult females and also some large pupae can survive the winter also in a diapause stage if they can find a protected spot. Because mosquitoes pierce your skin with their needle-like mouths and leave some of their saliva in your body when they bite you, they can also leave behind some nasty diseases. In some areas of the world, these diseases kill thousands of people each year.
Some of the more common diseases transmitted to people mostly in tropical climates by mosquitoes include:. In Minnesota, mosquitoes can transmit encephalitis to people. To reduce your chance of getting this disease, do the following:. Currently, the most common of these is West Nile virus spread by mosquitoes in the genus Culex or house mosquitoes.
Between nine and 83 cases have been reported annually over the last few years except for last year when no cases were reported in Minnesota. Other diseases, such as La Crosse encephalitis, are present, but rare. Heartworm is also a concern for pets. His areas of expertise include vector-borne diseases, infectious diseases, ticks, mosquitoes and Lyme disease. The mosquito gets the disease from birds and passes it on to humans.
The Aedes albopictus or Asian Tiger mosquito has also made its presence known in Minnesota over the past three decades. This type of mosquito carries Zika, dengue, chikungunya, West Nile, and encephalitis.
Encephalitis is more common in animals than humans, but it has been transmitted to humans in Minnesota according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Still, transmission of most of these diseases in Minnesota is low.
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