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| Scientific name: Arthropoda: Insecta: Diptera: Culicidae: Common Name: Information Sheet 2, Asian Tiger Mosquito 2001 Country: USA Photographer: E. M. Barrows Identifier: E. M. Barrows
Additional Information: Information Sheet, Asian Tiger Mosquito Asian Tiger Mosquitos are the most likely mosquitos to bite me in my yard. They bite night and day in cool, warm, and hot weather. They give me itchy welts and transmit the deadly West Nile Virus in the WDC Area. The welts can itch for several days and my scratching them can cause scabs. This virus kills birds, Cattle, Horses, and Humans. The ATMs also transmit Dengue fever, Dog Heartworm, encephalitis, and Yellow Fever. The ATM probably entered the U.S. in about 1985, in Houston, Texas in tire castings from Japan. This difficult insect is now in many states of eastern U.S. as well as Colorado. To reduce chances of getting bites I cover my skin with heavy, loose cloths and insect repellent. On one summer day I did this during mid-day, but forgot to cover a few places. Before I knew it I had seven bites (including on my scalp and on my back where the sanguivores bit through my shirt). I usually do not feel the initial bit of an ATM. After it leaves, I feel a small itchy spot. In 2001, I've worked in shorts and tried to ignore the ATMs. This resulted in scabby ugly legs from my scratching the bites of these microvampires. The Tigers have now trained me to look for any standing water in my yard daily. If I see any large wiggling larvae or pupae in plant saucers, my bird bath, and other vessels I quickly empty them. These mosquitoes can develop in a very small "pond," even in a cap from a jar. There are small ponds in my gutters when debris stops the water from draining fully. To remove these ponds I clean the gutter every week. Even when I control the Tigers in my yard, their armies still invade from my neighborhood. Dinner on my deck when we can enjoy my Dipladenia splendens together? Well yes, if you are protected from the Tigers. A citronella candle helps. Covering your skin with clothes and insect repellent (with DEET) helps even more. Some people recommend a repellent with about 35% DEET for effective mosquito control. A good application should last for hours, but it depends on how much you sweat. When I worked in the Everglades, I applied repellent with DEET about every 15 minutes because I perspired so much in hot, humid, July. Without these protections, the Tigers might eat more than you do. The Tigers are just one species of the thousand of alien, invasive species that have invaded our bodies, farms, forests, gardens, livestock, yards, and elsewhere, creating havoc and costing the U.S. about $270 billion annually. E.M.B. (August 2002) Please see "Information Sheet, West Nile Virus and Mosquitoes" on this Website (BDWA). Please click here for more information on the Asian Tiger Mosquito. Please click here for more information on the Asian Tiger Mosquito from the Texas Cooperative Extension Service. Please click here for more information on the Asian Tiger Mosquito from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Moore, C. G. and C. J. Mitchell. 1998. Aedes albopictus in the United States: Ten-Year Presence and Public Health Implications. Internet file. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol3no3/moore.htm (10 August 2002) Please click here for more information on the Asian Tiger Mosquito. Please click here for more information from Montgomery County, MD, on mosquitoes and the West Nile Virus which is from this site: Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. 2002. West Nile Virus: What People in Montgomery County Need to Know. Internet file. http://www.co.mo.md.us/services/dep/Mosquito/WNV2.pdf (25 August 2002). |
