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Sticker of Inland floodwater mosquito
Bug card No. 0775 of 1,500

Inland floodwater mosquito

Aedes vexans
Eats: BloodFlies and mosquitoesPonds, rivers and shores6 legs

The inland floodwater mosquito is one of the most common mosquitoes in the world. It has little B-shaped markings on the sides of its belly. Its eggs wait in dry ground for a flood, and when the water comes, they hatch.

Lives in
North America, Europe, Asia and Africa, near grassy pools, ditches and fields
Top speed
about 2 km/h (1.2 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Dangerous: look, do not touch
What does it eat?
Only the females drink blood, mostly from people and cows, to make their eggs. The males drink nectar, honeydew and plant sap.
For real!Photo of Inland floodwater mosquito
Picture by Katja Schulz from Washington, D. C., USA. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

In some parts of Europe more than 8 out of 10 mosquitoes are this kind.

2

On a summer night, a single trap can catch up to 8,000 of them.

3

Its eggs can wait in the soil for a long time until water floods the spot.

4

It can spread heartworm to dogs, a sickness that harms their hearts.

5

The babies live in water from spring to late summer, and the grown-ups fly from May to October.

you asked

Most asked questions about Inland floodwater mosquito

?Why are there so many mosquitoes after a flood?

Because this mosquito's eggs lie in dry ground and hatch when water floods them.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Aedes vexans
Group
Flies and mosquitoes
Family
Culicidae
Classification
Insecta > Diptera > Culicidae
Lives on
North America, Europe, Asia, Africa
Also known as
Tomguito

Where the facts come from

  1. Aedes vexans (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Katja Schulz from Washington, D. C., USA. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

More from the same group: Flies and mosquitoes

Also at home here: Ponds, rivers and shores