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Hawaii · Mosquito Season Guide

Is it mosquito season in Hawaii?

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II. Hawaii Mosquito Season Month by month

Hawaii has no native mosquitoes — every species arrived with European contact and subsequent trade. But the introduced species are consequential: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are established statewide and active year-round at lower elevations. The Big Island's 2015 dengue outbreak — the first local transmission in Hawaii in 70 years — underscored that tropical disease risk is not theoretical here.

Oahu / Honolulu
Honolulu · Kailua · Kaneohe
Big Island / Maui
Hilo · Kona · Kahului
Very Low Low Moderate High Very High taller = more active · color = severity
Year-round
activity at sea level on all major islands
~6
mosquito species present in Hawaii
2015
last major dengue outbreak — 264 cases on the Big Island
0
native Hawaiian mosquito species — all are introduced

Low elevation: year-round pressure

Sea-level communities on all islands — Honolulu, Hilo, Kona, Lahaina — experience continuous mosquito activity driven by warm temperatures and abundant rainfall on windward coasts. Aedes albopictus is the dominant species and bites aggressively during daylight hours, breeding in anything that holds water: coconut shells, bromeliads, clogged drains.

The Big Island: highest risk

The Big Island combines the widest range of elevations and microclimates with the state's most recent dengue outbreak. The Puna and Hilo districts on the rainy windward side support exceptionally dense Aedes populations year-round. The 2015 outbreak originated in this area and spread through contact with infected travelers. Avian malaria transmitted by Culex quinquefasciatus is also devastating native Hawaiian bird populations in mid-elevation forests.

Elevation as the escape valve

Above approximately 1,500–2,000 feet, temperatures drop enough to significantly suppress mosquito activity. Upcountry Maui (Kula), the higher slopes of Haleakala, and Volcano Village on the Big Island are substantially cooler and drier — and far less affected. Many residents seek higher ground precisely for this reason.

III. Hawaii's Key Mosquito Species
Aedes albopictus mosquito photograph
Aedes albopictus
Asian Tiger Mosquito

Hawaii has no native mosquito species — every biting mosquito on the islands arrived by ship or plane over the past two centuries. Aedes albopictus, the tiger mosquito, is now the most widespread, present on all major islands year-round at sea level after introduction in the 1800s. It breeds in taro field water, ornamental bromeliads, and any container holding fresh water — a flexible breeder perfectly suited to the islands' humid climate.

Aedes aegypti mosquito photograph
Aedes aegypti
Yellow Fever Mosquito

Established on the Big Island and parts of Oahu, Ae. aegypti was the vector behind Hawaii's 2015 dengue outbreak — 264 confirmed cases, the largest in the state in decades. It prefers human blood above other hosts, bites exclusively during the day, and breeds almost entirely in artificial containers near homes. Where it overlaps with albopictus, aegypti is generally the more medically significant species.

Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito photograph
Culex quinquefasciatus
Southern House Mosquito

The least visible but most ecologically damaging mosquito in Hawaii. Culex quinquefasciatus is the primary vector of avian malaria and avian pox — introduced diseases that have driven endemic Hawaiian honeycreepers to extinction at low elevations. It breeds in standing water, slow streams, and sewage effluent; active at dusk and dawn. Disease risk to humans is secondary to its catastrophic ongoing effect on native bird populations.

IV. Hawaii Cities at a Glance
CityPeak SeasonOff-SeasonNotes
Honolulu Year-round No true off-season Urban storm drains and containers; moderate pressure; windward side worse than leeward Check live
Hilo Year-round No true off-season High rainfall windward Big Island; very high Ae. albopictus density; dengue risk area Check live
Kona Year-round Lighter Jan–Feb Drier leeward coast; lower pressure than Hilo but Ae. aegypti present Check live
Kailua Year-round Lighter Jan–Feb Windward Oahu; higher rainfall than Honolulu; above-average suburban pressure Check live
Kahului Year-round Lighter Dec–Feb Central Maui; drier than windward side; moderate year-round activity Check live
More State Guides
Florida Year-round activity in the south — 80+ species including invasive Ae. aegypti and the Asian tiger mosquito across all 67 counties Texas ~85 species across four climate zones — Gulf Coast active March through November, with year-round pressure in the Rio Grande Valley California Central Valley is the #1 West Nile corridor in the US — invasive Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus now established in 20+ counties Georgia Atlanta metro leads the Southeast in Asian tiger mosquito density — active statewide March through November New York Ground zero for West Nile in the US (1999 Queens outbreak) — NYC metro and Long Island see the highest Northeast seasonal pressure Illinois Home of the 2002 Cook County West Nile outbreak — the deadliest urban WNV event in US history — peak season June through September Ohio Lake Erie to the Ohio River — WNV active in Franklin and Cuyahoga counties, with floodwater species surging after summer storms Pennsylvania Philadelphia WNV corridor meets rural EEE risk in western PA — the densest human population in the mid-Atlantic mosquito belt Michigan Site of the 2019 EEE outbreak — the deadliest in decades — 10 human cases and 6 deaths concentrated in SW Michigan Great Lakes wetlands New Jersey Oldest organized county mosquito control in the US (1914) — Pine Barrens EEE corridor and fierce salt marsh Shore species Virginia Tidewater season runs April–October — the longest mid-Atlantic window — with the Great Dismal Swamp as an active EEE hotspot North Carolina The coastal plain runs one of the longest seasons in the Southeast — NC leads the nation in La Crosse encephalitis cases from the Appalachian foothills Maryland Chesapeake Bay watershed creates extraordinary mosquito habitat — tidal marshes, Eastern Shore wetlands, and the DC-Baltimore corridor combine for dense seasonal pressure Tennessee Memphis and the Mississippi River corridor historically record the highest WNV case counts in the mid-South — Ae. albopictus has colonized all 95 counties Indiana Indiana sits at the crossroads of the Great Lakes EEE belt — Lake Michigan wetlands in the north and the Wabash River floodplain drive intense seasonal pressure Louisiana The Gulf Coast's most intense pressure — coastal marshes and summer rains keep Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti active from March through November Alabama Mobile Bay to the Tennessee Valley — Ae. albopictus has reached all 67 counties and peak WNV season runs June through September South Carolina Low Country marshes produce some of the Southeast's densest Anopheles and Culex populations — season runs March through November Minnesota 10,000 lakes means 10,000 breeding sites — the Northwoods sees intense but short July–August peaks, while the Twin Cities face a longer June–September window Wisconsin Great Lakes wetlands and the Mississippi River backwaters drive strong WNV pressure in the Milwaukee corridor — peak season July through August Missouri At the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers — St. Louis historically ranks among the highest WNV cities in the US — season May through October Arkansas Delta rice-field flooding and the Arkansas River bottomlands create some of the highest rural mosquito pressure in the mid-South — active April through October Washington Western WA stays mild and damp year-round; the Yakima Valley and Columbia Basin face the highest WNV risk in the Pacific Northwest — peak July through September Arizona Monsoon season (July–September) drives sudden mosquito explosions across the Valley of the Sun — WNV detected annually Colorado Front Range WNV corridor stretches Denver to Fort Collins — eastern plains carry the state's highest risk Connecticut Connecticut River valley WNV pressure meets EEE risk in inland freshwater wetlands — active May through October Delaware Chesapeake and Delaware Bay marshes create outsized pressure for the nation's second-smallest state Idaho Snake River Plain irrigation districts fuel summer WNV pressure — season June through September Iowa Mississippi River corridor and prairie wetlands drive intense June–September pressure — WNV active statewide Kansas Great Plains WNV corridor — Wichita and Kansas City see peak pressure July–August; floodwater species surge after storms Kentucky Ohio River corridor and Kentucky Lake wetlands sustain a long April–October season across all 120 counties Maine Short but intense July–August season — EEE detected in some years in the southern coastal plain Massachusetts EEE fatality rate exceeds 30% — the Plymouth County swamp complex is the active epicenter — season May through October Mississippi Gulf Coast near-year-round pressure meets Delta rice-field flooding for one of the South's most intense mosquito environments Montana Yellowstone and Missouri River corridors drive a compressed June–August season — WNV detected most years in eastern MT Nebraska Platte River valley and eastern Nebraska are among the Great Plains' most active WNV zones — peak July–August Nevada Las Vegas monsoon season drives July–September activity; Reno irrigation districts fuel a parallel northern peak New Hampshire EEE detected most years — the southern lakes and coastal plain are in the active Northeast EEE corridor New Mexico Monsoon season (July–September) creates sudden breeding habitat; WNV circulates in the Rio Grande valley annually North Dakota Red River Valley flooding produces some of the Great Plains' most extreme floodwater mosquito events — peak June–August Oklahoma One of the South-Central's most intense seasons — the Arkansas and Red River corridors sustain populations April through October Oregon Eastern Oregon Columbia Basin is the state's WNV hotspot; western Oregon runs a mild coastal season June through September Rhode Island New England's densest coastal pressure — Narragansett Bay salt marshes and WNV active in all five counties South Dakota Missouri River and James River valleys drive summer WNV activity — eastern SD sees the most intense pressure Utah Salt Lake Valley WNV corridor and irrigation districts sustain a July–September peak — drier areas see limited activity Vermont Champlain Valley runs Vermont's longest season — EEE detected in the Lake Champlain lowlands in some years West Virginia Kanawha and Ohio River valleys sustain a May–October season — Ae. albopictus now established statewide Wyoming The shortest meaningful season of any contiguous US state — North Platte valley WNV window is just 6–8 weeks
West Nile, dengue, and EEE: US disease risk by region → Asian tiger mosquitoes: why you're getting bitten during the day → Eliminating standing water: the highest-leverage yard move →