Malaria
Prevalence: Very low in US
Risk 2/5
Eastern Malaria Mosquito
Anopheles quadrimaculatus · “The Malaria Vector”
Medium-sized brown mosquito with distinctive spotted wings. Found primarily in southeastern US. Breeds in clean, shallow water.
Disease risks
Plasmodium
Prevalence: Historical only
How to identify
- Size
- 6-9mm (medium)
- Color
- Brown with distinctive spotted wings
- Distinctive features
- Spotted wings (4 dark spots), palps as long as proboscis
- Resting posture
- Head-down posture at steep angle
- Prefers
- Humans and animals
- Pain level
- Moderate
- Persistence
- Moderate
- Transmission
- Historically important malaria vector; now rare in US
What actually works
Habitat Elimination (Source Control)
Removal and treatment of breeding sites. Professional inspection identifies and eliminates standing water where mosquitoes lay eggs.
Pyrethroid Spray Treatment
Professional-grade synthetic pyrethroid insecticide applied by licensed technicians. Fast-acting, EPA-approved, effective against adult mosquitoes.
Cities where Eastern Malaria Mosquito is active
Charlotte, North CarolinaCobb County, GeorgiaNashville, TennesseeMemphis, TennesseeAtlanta, GeorgiaRaleigh, North CarolinaGreensboro, North CarolinaDurham, North CarolinaWinston-Salem, North CarolinaHuntsville, AlabamaBirmingham, AlabamaFayetteville, North CarolinaMontgomery, AlabamaAugusta, GeorgiaMobile, AlabamaColumbus, GeorgiaKnoxville, TennesseeChattanooga, Tennessee
Fun fact
Anopheles quadrimaculatus was the primary malaria vector in the southeastern US until malaria was virtually eradicated in the 1940s-50s.