M.G. Waldvogel, Extension Entomology Specialist. Aedes sp., Culex sp. Mosquitoes are important pests because their biting activity often interferes with outdoor activities and may transmit disease organisms to people and domestic animals.
Most mosquitoes are active during twilight hours and at night.
However, around the home, the mosquitoes that breed in discarded containers are active during the day. Although mosquitoes are primarily annoyances in North Carolina, some species are vectors of disease. Of the human diseases known to be caused by disease organisms transmitted by mosquitoes, malaria, yellow fever, and several kinds of encephalitis have been reported in North Carolina. Small numbers of mosquito-spread encephalitis cases in humans and animals occur sporadically in North Carolina. Malaria and yellow fever have been eliminated.