The Yellow Fever Mosquito

The Yellow fever mosquito, known as Aedes aegypti by its Latin name, transfers the yellow fever virus to humans. It can also carry dengue fever and CHIKV among others.
This mosquito is defined by a black body with a silvery lyre shaped pattern on its body. It will deposit its eggs in damp closed areas such as cans, jars, rain water containers, old tires and any other household nooks and crannies. Within the tropical jungle, the mosquitos will inhabit damp holes in trees. The eggs can survive for up to a year without adequate moisture. The resulting larvae will develop within approximately 10 days time.

The Yellow fever mosquito will feed only during the daytime and prefers busy urban areas. This day time feeding is contrary to the female Anopheles mosquitoes that carry malaria and feed from dusk until dawn. Although feeding can include animal blood, the species prefers human blood and will remain local to heavily populated areas. For some reason, a female Yellow fever mosquito may feed at night on occasion under artificial lighting. In evolutionary terms this species split from the common fruit fly 250 million years ago and the Anopheles genus emerged some 150 million years ago.

This mosquito is responsive to seasonal change; in the south it is prevalent all year round, whereas in the north regions it is mainly active during the summer. This mosquito dies in temperatures below freezing and is severely debilitated in weather under 5 degrees Celsius. Females can live up to a total of one month in adulthood; however males tend to die a little earlier.