dengue mosquito

How can I tell if it's a dengue mosquito?

The dengue mosquito looks like many other mosquitoes in north Queensland so it is difficult for the layperson to identify without the use of a microscope. As a rule of thumb, if you have mosquitoes biting you indoors during the day in north Queensland, it is likely that they are dengue mosquitoes.
The dengue mosquito (Aedes aegypti) can more readily be identified by its behaviour. Look for these signs:

• It likes to live indoors and bite people indoors
• It is hard to catch; it moves very quickly, darting back and forth
• It likes to hide under furniture and bite people around the feet and ankles
• Its bite is often relatively painless, so people may not notice they are being bitten or they may think they are being bitten by sandflies/biting midges.

The adult mosquito prefers to rest in dark areas inside and under houses and buildings. Favourite resting spots are under beds, tables and chairs; in wardrobes and closets; on piles of dirty laundry and shoes; inside open containers; in dark and quiet rooms; and even on dark objects such as clothing or furniture.
The dengue mosquito prefers to bite humans during daylight. It is very cautious when biting, flying away quickly at the slightest disturbance. An effective way to kill adult mosquitoes is to apply a residual insecticide (cockroach surface spray) onto the areas where they prefer to rest.



Where does the dengue mosquito live?


The dengue mosquito is sometimes dubbed the ‘cockroach of mosquitoes’ because it is truly domesticated and prefers to live in and around people’s homes. It does NOT breed in swamps or drains, and does not often bite at night.


Where are the dengue mosquito breeding sites?
The dengue mosquito frequents backyards in search of containers holding water inside and outside the home, such as:

• cans
• buckets
• jars
• vases
• pot plant dishes
• birdbaths
• boats
• tyres – discarded with no rims
• roof gutters blocked by leaves.
• striking containers (used to strike plants) 
• tarpaulins and black plastic.
• It can also breed in natural containers like:
• bromeliads
• fallen palm fronds.
• In drier conditions it also breeds in water in subterranean sites such as:
• wells
• telecommunication pits
• sump pits
• gully traps.

The dengue mosquito does not fly very far, so if you get rid of mosquito breeding sites around your home, you will significantly reduce your risk of being bitten by dengue mosquitoes.

How do dengue mosquitoes transmit dengue?


Dengue mosquitoes are common in Queensland but usually do not carry dengue. A female mosquito can only become infected with dengue after biting an infected human who is viraemic with dengue (ie. there are enough dengue virus particles in the person’s blood to infect a mosquito).
An infected person can transmit dengue to mosquitoes at home, at work or anywhere they visit. This can happen within 3-4 days of being bitten and can continue to do so up to 12 days.

Dengue is not spread directly from person to person.


In 8-10 days the infected mosquito is able to transmit the virus to other people. Thus the cycle of transmission takes only 14 days. One dengue-infected female mosquito is capable of biting and infecting several people during one feeding session.

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