It's the time of year when mosquitos begin to bite. But this year, their bite could be more serious.
Salt Lake County workers will be setting out traps to see if a new aggressive mosquito, imported from Asia, has set up residence in Utah.
Science Specialist Ed Yeates reports.
|
More Info
It is likely that tiger mosquitoes came to the U.S. in 1985, in used tires imported to Houston, Texas, from Japan
- The tiger mosquito does best in residential areas where shade and
water-holding containers are common.
- Outdoor containers are greatly preferred for laying eggs over
indoor containers, and outdoor containers in the shade are preferred over those in full sunlight.
- Adult tiger mosquitoes seldom move more than 100 yards from
the containers they were born in.
- Adult tiger mosquitoes are medium sized, black in color with distinctive white stripes.
Links
|
The Tiger Mosquito with its distinctive black body with white stripes showed up in Salt Lake for the first time last July, but was isolated to a nursery warehouse. It was in water used to pack these imported shipments of floral bamboo shoots.
Ken Minson / South Valley Mosquito Abatement: "THE REASON WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT IT IS THAT IT SEEMS TO BE A VERY GOOD VECTOR OF SEVERAL DIFFERENT TYPES OF DISEASES - AND IT'S ALSO, MORE POINTEDLY, A VERY VICIOUS BITER."
Ken Minson's team with South Valley Mosquito Abatement will set these specially designed traps in various locations. If the mosquito shows up in the bottom bag, that means the biter successfully escaped last year and laid its eggs out and about.
MINSON: "IT SEEMED TO BE RESTRICTED EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI - UNTIL IT CAME IN THROUGH THIS LUCKY BAMBOO WHICH HAS BEEN SO POPULAR WITH SO MANY PEOPLE."
ED YEATES, SCIENCE SPECIALIST: ONCE OUT, THE MOSQUITO IS HARD TO FIND. IT LAYS ITS EGGS IN TREE HOLES, OLD TIRES, ANY SPOT WHERE WATER ACCUMULATES AND IS OFTEN OUT OF SITE."
Like some of our native mosquitoes, the Tiger species is considered a major vector. That means, as an imported bug, it's a POTENTIAL carrier of diseases such as encephalitis or Dengue Fever.
Minson says we don't need it. We don't want it. But it may be too late.
Ed Yeates, Eyewitness News, Midvale.
The Tiger Mosquito showed up originally in Houston in the late 80's and then spread to the eastern part of the country.
Since it has survived nicely in Chicago, it could easily adapt to our climate.
May 14, 2002
West Nile Virus Info
From the USDA
