In most cases, they cannot be seen by looking directly down on the saddle. If the specimen is positioned on a white background with the siphon pointing directly up, the spicules on the posterior margin of the saddle stand out as sharp little teeth. They are very obvious in Ae. As a result, the posterior margin of the saddle is raggedly toothed in Ae. Aedes stimulans possesses a character that does not appear in any key.
New Jersey specimens almost always have one upper head hair single and the other double.
Although this characteristic cannot be considered diagnostic, if a substantial percentage of the collection has the 1-2 upper head hair pattern, there is a very good chance that the collection is comprised of Aedes stimulans rather than Ae. Aedes stimulans is recognized as one of northern New Jersey's most important early season pests. The mosquito bites avidly in the woodlands close to its larval habitat but will also enter communities in numbers in quest of a blood meal. Housing developments that are built in wooded settings have severe problems if the woodlands harbor breeding habitat for this species. In areas near flood plains, the species is joined by Aedes sticticus to cause added annoyance.