Asian tiger mosquitoes are an exotic species that hails from Southeast Asia. They are also known as forest mosquitoes, and they are a day-time species that can transmit a handful of dangerous diseases including dengue fever, the West Nile virus and the Zika virus.

What does an Asian tiger mosquito look like?

The Asian tiger mosquito has a distinctive coloration – it is black with white stripes. In terms of size, it is about ⅛”, and the mosquito can be found across all regions of the US. Outside of its colors however, the mosquito looks like any other mosquito species out there.

Habitat

This mosquito is active year-round in areas with a warm climate, but it will be inactive over winter in more temperate zones. The females will lay their eggs on standing water, and this water can be found in lakes, ponds, swamps, and puddles. On human properties, the standing water can be inside flower pots, tires, clogged drains and birdbaths. All of these will be suitable nesting locations for the Asian tiger mosquito.

Behavior

Unlike most mosquito species which feed at dusk and dawn, the Asian tiger mosquito feeds during the day. Outside of that, this mosquito is fairly regular when it comes to behavior. The females feed on blood in order to be able to lay eggs and rear their young, and the males feed on flower nectar. A female can lay up to 100 eggs at a time, and the Asian tiger mosquito has four life stages – egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

Threats posed by the Asian tiger mosquito

This mosquito species is a vector for the transmission of several dangerous diseases. Luckily, these diseases have been mostly eliminated or are rare in the US. Still, because of how widespread this species is, there is still a chance that the diseases will resurface if an infested person traveling from abroad is bitten by the mosquito, and then the disease will become endemic.

Prevention and control

In order to remove an Asian tiger mosquito infestation, a pest control pro will target their breeding sites found in bodies of standing water. This is the fastest and most effective way to remove a mosquito infestation completely. Other methods will be simply dealing with the symptoms and not the causes of the problem.

If you have any questions about the Asian tiger mosquito, or if there is an infestation on your property, contact us today.