mosquitos

[turttle]

I am getting eaten alive in my yard this year, probably due to all the rain. However, I am seeing these huge mosquitos coming to my flowers this year, which is new.

Are the big ones more likely to bite than the tiny ones, like the Asian tiger mosquitos? I tentatively id'd the bluish one as a "gallnipper", the "blue-tail fly" of the song, known to bite through thick clothing.

Are the ones coming to the flowers the males, who don't bite, or both genders?

[Equilibrium]

That’s a “friend”. It’s a crane fly…. harmless…. it won’t suck your blood. suunto can give you better info than me though.

[suunto]

Originally Posted by turttle

I am getting eaten alive in my yard this year, probably due to all the rain. However, I am seeing these huge mosquitos coming to my flowers this year, which is new.

Are the big ones more likely to bite than the tiny ones, like the Asian tiger mosquitos? I tentatively id'd the bluish one as a "gallnipper", the "blue-tail fly" of the song, known to bite through thick clothing.

Are the ones coming to the flowers the males, who don't bite, or both genders?

The first two images are of a male Toxorhynchites rutilis mosquito. This is a beneficial mosquito, as both sexes are nectar feeders and thus may also be pollinators, and their larvae are predators on other mosquito larvae that develop in container habitats such as treeholes and discarded tires. They can be readily distinguished from gallinippers by their strongly downturned proboscis - see http://www.dnr.sc.gov/cwcs/pdf/Predmosquit.pdf for much more detailed information on this fascinating species. BTW, the larvae of gallinippers (Psorophora ciliata and P. howardii) also are predatory, on other mosquito larvae found in temprorary rain pools.

[NEWisc]

Originally Posted by suunto

The first two images are of a male Toxorhynchites rutilis mosquito. This is a beneficial mosquito, as both sexes are nectar feeders and thus may also be pollinators, and their larvae are predators on other mosquito larvae that develop in container habitats such as treeholes and discarded tires. They can be readily distinguished from gallinippers by their strongly downturned proboscis - see http://www.dnr.sc.gov/cwcs/pdf/Predmosquit.pdf for much more detailed information on this fascinating species. BTW, the larvae of gallinippers (Psorophora ciliata and P. howardii) also are predatory, on other mosquito larvae found in temprorary rain pools.

A beneficial mosquito - who knew??! Thanks for the photos and the info.
.

[turttle]

Adult predatory mosquitoes feed on nectar and other naturally occurring carbohydrate sources
but never take blood meals, leading many entomologists to recognize this mosquito’s potential to

reduce pest and disease-bearing mosquitoes. - from http://www.dnr.sc.gov/cwcs/pdf/Predmosquit.pdf

I didn't know mosquitoes existed that did not need a blood meal to produce eggs. Very cool! Especially cool that they are in my yard!

I am glad to have beneficial mosquitoes whose larva kill off the other ones, and who have been suggested for biological control of mosquito pests.

[turttle]

Originally Posted by Equilibrium

That’s a “friend”. It’s a crane fly…. harmless…. it won’t suck your blood. suunto can give you better info than me though.

'Lib, craneflies do not have mouthparts. These guys clearly do, and are sucking nectar, which is why I knew they weren't craneflies. That was my first thought when I saw them, though, until I looked more closely.

[Equilibrium]

Ya... I missed that. I knew they were "friend" not foe though. We call those Mosquito Eaters around here and neither the males or the females will "suck" your blood. I didn't realize they were actually mosquitoes though. I think we've got several different species of them but I never get lucky enough to get photos. I did get a good photo of an actual Crane fly though... it was stuck in a spider's web!!! Your 1st photo is the best. I really like the blue irridescence!!!

[turttle]

My mom called crane flies "mosquito hawks" and swore to me that they ate mosquitoes, until I was old enough to learn about them and laugh at her mistake. Now I know that there is an insect that looks very like a crane fly who is at least predatory on the larva. Moral: never laugh at your mom.