Bug FAQAmerican rock pool mosquito
Aedes atropalpus · Order: Diptera · Family: Culicidae
Source: Wikipedia
The American rock pool mosquito is a small to medium-sized mosquito with a slender body, long legs and a blood-feeding proboscis. It breeds in tiny water bodies such as rock pools, tires and buckets, and its eggs can survive drying until flooded. Laboratory studies show it can carry West Nile and La Crosse viruses.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It has the typical dark color and scaled wings of mosquitoes.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Its ability to use human-made containers helps it spread in residential areas.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Control focuses on removing breeding sites and applying insecticides where needed.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives in small water-filled sites like natural rock pools, stream edges, and artificial containers such as tires and buckets.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
It undergoes complete metamorphosis: egg, larva, pupa, then adult. Females lay eggs on moist surfaces above water; the eggs survive drying and hatch when flooded.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 25 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Iowa, Florida, Utah, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Michigan, Connecticut.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I prevent American rock pool mosquitoes?
Remove standing water from containers like tires and buckets and treat any remaining sites with appropriate insecticides.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are these mosquitoes found?
They are native to eastern North America and also occur in parts of Europe, breeding in rock pools and artificial containers.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the larvae eat?
Mosquito larvae feed on organic debris in the water where they develop.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Culicidae)
Asian Tiger MosquitoAedes albopictusCan spread germs or disease
House Mosquito ComplexCulex pipiensCan spread germs or disease
Yellow Fever MosquitoAedes aegyptiCan spread germs or disease
Inland Floodwater MosquitoAedes vexansCan spread germs or disease
Asian Bush MosquitoAedes japonicusCan bite
Southern House MosquitoCulex quinquefasciatusCan spread germs or diseaseSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aedes_atropalpus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.