Distribution of resting female Aedes vexans (Meigen) in wooded and nonwooded areas of metropolitan Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

Daytime resting mosquito densities in 4 habitat types (wooded, residential yard, garden, and crop) were examined to determine if areas other than wooded ones may be serving as prime mosquito resting habitat. Adult Aedes vexans were collected in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area with large battery-powered aspirators to determine mosquito densities at randomly chosen sites within the metropolitan area that supported all 4 habitats. Measurements were taken to estimate the total area of each habitat type within the sample areas. The highest densities of mosquitoes were found in wooded areas. Although agricultural crop areas had relatively low mosquito densities, they supported the 2nd largest number of mosquitoes because of the extremely large cropland area. Residential yards and gardens contained fewer mosquitoes compared with wooded areas. A greater percentage of bloodfed mosquitoes was collected within the wooded habitat.