Knowing the real deal from the imposters!

Sometimes we get calls from people telling us that they have huge mosquitoes in their yard or there is a cloud of mosquitoes.  The good news is, there is no such thing as a huge mosquito. The bad news, unless you are a Mr. Mister Mosquito Control customer, you have mosquitoes in your yard.  There are 3 types of insects that are commonly mistaken for mosquitoes and we would like to help you tell the difference.

1.  Crane flies
2.  Mayflies
3.  Midges

Crane flies are probably tops on the list of insects commonly mistaken for mosquitoes. They are often falsely referred to as “mosquito hawks” but they do not bite people and they do not eat mosquitoes. These insects are not predacious and are usually much larger than a typical mosquito varying in size from 1/4 inch to as large as 1 1/2 inches in length. This species is usually the one to blame when we receive calls that these “giant mosquitoes” are in my yard. Crane flies are strongly attracted to porch lights so it would be a good idea to use a yellow “bug” bulb or leave lights off if these insects are causing a problem.

Mayflies are another group of insects that are commonly mistaken for mosquitoes. Though they do not resemble mosquitoes as closely as some other insects, the fact that they breed in the same aquatic habitat as mosquitoes invariably draws attention to this species from many people. Despite how they may look,  Mayflies do not bite or sting, in fact they are very important to their local aquatic environment providing food for fish, dragonfly nymphs and birds.

Here are pictures of two types of mosquitoes that are native to Georgia and are a vector for diseases like West Nile and Chikungunya, the Asian Tiger and the  Culex Pipiens

Now you can tell the difference between mosquitoes and their look-a-likes!