Studies on Culex tarsalis Coquillett in Colorado have shown marked seasonal variation in the proportion of blood meals from birds and mammals. However, limitations in the specificity of antibodies used in the precipitin test and lack of vertebrate host availability data warrant revisiting Cx. tarsalis blood feeding behavior in the context of West Nile virus (WNV) transmission. We characterized the host preference of Cx. tarsalis during peak WNV transmission season in eastern Colorado and estimated the relative contribution of different avian species to WNV transmission. Cx. tarsalis preferred birds to mammals each month, although the proportion of blood meals from mammals increased in July and August. The distribution of blood meals differed significantly across months, in part because of changes in the proportion of blood meals from American robins, a preferred host. The estimated proportion of WNV-infectious vectors derived from American robins declined from 60 to 1% between June and August. The majority of avian blood meals came from doves, preferred hosts that contributed 25-40% of the WNV-infectious mosquitoes each month. Active WNV transmission was observed in association with a large house sparrow communal roost. These data show how seasonal patterns in Cx. tarsalis blood feeding behavior relate to WNV transmission in eastern Colorado, with the American robin contributing greatly to early-season virus transmission and a communal roost of sparrows serving as a focus for late-season amplification.

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The 1st Aedes albopictus specimen recorded from Colorado was found near a tire storage site in Ft. Lupton on July 9, 2003. Intensified surveillance at the site in 2003 did not result in collection of any other specimens that season, leading to speculation that it was an isolated incident rather than an actual introduction for the species. Control measures against larvae and adult mosquitoes were conducted in the area to further reduce the likelihood of establishment of a viable population. However, subsequent surveillance during the 2004 mosquito season resulted in collection of 21 additional specimens at and near the Ft. Lupton site, possibly representing an established viable population of the species.

The 1967 treatment of the Mosquitoes of Colorado by Harmston and Lawson and subsequent publications have recorded 46 culicid species from Colorado. As part of a study to create an updated synopsis of the mosquitoes of Colorado, adult trapping at numerous localities was conducted in Colorado during the summers of 2013 and 2014. This review also included an examination of mosquito specimens in various relevant museum collections. Aedes (Ochlerotatus) niphadopsis and Ae. (Och.) spencerii spencerii were collected during the 2013 and 2014 field seasons. Records for Ae. (Och.) canadensis canadensis, Ae. (Stegomyia) aegypti, and Uranotaenia (Pseudoficalbia) anhydor syntheta were obtained from examination of museum specimens. These species constitute new state records for Colorado, with 51 species now known from the state.