During the spring of 2000, the RCDOH implemented a comprehensive Mosquito Surveillance Program designed to survey the natural populations of mosquitoes for the presence of West Nile virus, while measuring the species composition of the entire county. Since that time, the Department of Health has collected and identified over 134,000 mosquitoes comprising 28 different species and 10 genera. This may seem like a wide variety, but approximately 60 different species of mosquitoes are known to inhabit the temperate region within New York State. Each species of mosquito is highly specialized and adapted according to the particular host species they seek out for a reproductive blood meal, and to the type of aquatic environments where the females prefer to deposit their eggs.

This page has been established to help residents understand and identify some of the basic characteristics of the native species that they may encounter. By recognizing the active species in their vicinity, it may be possible for residents to locate and eliminating unnecessary breeding sites which may be causing a nuisance or public health threat. If, for example, you live far from a wetland or swamp, and find that mosquitoes regularly nag you; chances are that the pests have been growing in your own backyard! Education, awareness, and detection are all instrumental in hindering the spread of West Nile virus locally and nationally.

Compiled here are some brief descriptions regarding the bionomics of the 18 most common species in Rockland County, along with digital images focusing on the important body features we may use for identification. The information below is sorted according to the type of stagnant water habitats in which the larval and pupal stages of each species are most commonly found.

Click on links below to reference detailed photographs. For clarification on body structures mentioned, see the Mosquito Body Diagram image.