Asian Tiger Mosquitoes, or Reasons to Avoid Yardwork

This striking insect is an Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus. My photo is of a male feeding on goldenrod nectar. (In 2007, an entomology professor at OSU told me this was the first he had seen of a tiger mosquito on a flower.) The females love human elbows and the tender backs of knees. I’m glad I haven’t encountered them outside of the yard. (none at Darby Creek) Unlike our traditional bloodsuckers who gear up mainly at dusk and dawn, Aedes are out eating all day - No crepuscular discretion here. I assume natural predators and our native mosquitoes still squeeze out the tiger mosquitoes in wilder places, but here in the suburbs tigers rule.
I blame the neighbor (again) for standing water in clogged gutters, though you might think the roots of sapling trees growing in those gutters would have soaked up any water.

Speaking of blood loss, I enjoy sharing this bit:
One fine day at our compost bin, I encountered a “gallinipper” mosquito, Psorophora ciliata. Looking like an elongated deer fly wearing golden pipe-cleaner legs, it glittered in the sun as it pierced my arm. - This may explain my fear of gold jewelry and glittery greeting cards. - I brushed it off and scurried away. Huge for a mosquito, the dangling legs made it seem the size of a large paper wasp. It chased me onto the deck! I swatted at it, and it tumbled backward then righted itself (reminding me of an old cartoon hornet) and came straight for my throat!
My tomcat and I fled into the house, gasping and wide-eyed. (We looked at each other and promptly agreed never to discuss the incident.)
In hindsight, I would have grabbed that sucker by the proboscis and at least captured a photo. Now I’m sad - I was possibly her last attempt at a good meal on the southwest side, and my memory of a sore and swollen forearm has faded. Also, her larvae would have destroyed the more prosperous tiger mosquitoes. So if you ever see a glorious gallinipper, catch it for me - I want to train it to be a guard mosquito.
TIP: Avoid breeding mosquitoes in your yard by making sure there is no standing water (for more than a few days) in pots, dishes, statues, crevices, frisbees... Even when turned upside down, the lip of a trashcan or baby pool can hold enough water to be beachfront property for some mosquitoes. Natural repellents for your skin containing eucalyptus and lemongrass oil seem to work.