Its carriers include deer of which there are an estimated 170,000 in the Garden State. Countless thousands exist in other Northeastern States. Birds, squirrels and mice are other carriers. Mosquitos are carriers of malaria, yellow fever, filariasis, dengue fever, and encelphalitis, in addition to West Nile Fever. There are 2,960 species known around the world with 169 species recorded in North America.
New species continue to be introduced to America as international travel expands.
The three major genera are Aedes, Culex and Culiseta. Culex Pipiens L. is probably the most widespread mosquito species in North America. It breeds continuously during the summer and is known to fly up to a distance of l4 miles from its breeding site. Alan Caruba, a veteran business and science writer, is the founder of The National Anxiety Center, a clearinghouse for information about scare campaigns designed to influence public opinion and policy. He is a regular contributor to Ether Zone.