Black mosquito with white stripes: information about it, what is dangerous, where is it found?

Hello! Do you know these jokes from the series, they say, if a spider appeared at home, now this is his house? I think this can be said about so many insects in principle.

Of course, in the forefront are large mosquitoes, which many mistakenly call "malaria". At the same time, we rarely pay attention to other variations of mosquitoes, and if we pay, then we also begin to panic.

For example, if you come across a black mosquito with white stripes - is it worth it to give him living space and rush off? Today let's talk about this variety of mosquitoes!

What is dangerous Asian tiger mosquito

The second most dangerous for humans among biting mosquitoes (genus Aedes) after the yellow-febrile mosquito Aedes aegypti is rightfully considered the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (pronounced "edes albopictus").

Its homeland is South and Southeast Asia, but thanks to the development of transport, this parasite has settled in other tropical and subtropical regions.

What is the difference between an Asian tiger mosquito and an ordinary squeak

In Latin, albopictus means "covered with white spots." This is a generic trait of almost all Aedes mosquitoes, varieties differ only in ornament, number of spots and orientation of stripes.

The tiger mosquito has transverse stripes that resemble the skin of a tiger, hence the colloquial name. In places of distribution of tiger mosquitoes, they are easily confused with related species, which does not play a special role for tourists.

All bites with equal enthusiasm drink human blood, cause local and general allergic reactions, and spread viral infections to animals and humans.

The most dangerous mosquito infections - malaria and yellow fever - Aedes albopictus does not spread, therefore it does not enjoy such a bad reputation as the genus Anopheles (malaria mosquitoes) and the closest relatives of Asians yellow fever mosquitoes Aedes aegypti.

Where is the Asian tiger mosquito found?

The birthplace of the tiger mosquito is the tropical rainforests of India, the countries of the Golden Triangle (Thailand, Laos, Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. There is a mosquito in other Asian countries, in East Africa, in northern Australia.

On the American continent, it has not yet received widespread distribution, but according to the experience of the yellow febrile mosquito, it can be said that his tiger cousin conquers America ahead.

The tendency to synanthropism in mild mosquitoes is moderate, but they successfully settle around cities and towns and fly into dwellings.

They are not even bothered by the lack of water (however, drought is a rarity in South Asia).Thanks to the even and always warm climate, mosquitoes breed all year round.

What does the Asian tiger mosquito eat

Males of the Asian tiger mosquito are exclusively vegetarians, saturated with floral nectar. Females also feed on nectar, and get drunk with blood for breeding.

Mosquito larvae develop in water. The main food is dead vegetation and bacteria, but the larvae can also act as predators by eating eggs and larvae of other mosquitoes.

What is the danger of an Asian tiger mosquito

Aedes albopictus differs in non-standard behavior - it does not bother with daylight and bright sunlight. Biting during the day is a common thing; it becomes an unpleasant discovery for novice tourists.

Like other blood-sucking Culicidae, a tiger mosquito, immersing the proboscis in the body of the victim, injects anticoagulants under the skin, which reduce blood coagulation.

These substances are strong allergens, and the body's immune response is stronger if the individual still has never encountered this type of protein.

That's why the first bites of Aedes albopictus after arriving in an exotic country can lead to extensive local inflammation, skin rash, and even a general allergic reaction up to anaphylaxis.

The tiger mosquito is a carrier of a mass of viral infections that are dangerous to humans and animals. Fortunately, he does not transmit the yellow fever virus, but Dengue or Chikungunya fever can get sick after a bite.

A mosquito is dangerous for large domestic animals, especially horses, which it infects with deadly equine encephalitis, the scourge of farmers in the United States. Recently, American scientists found that an Asian is able to transmit the insidious Zika virus, which causes congenital malformations in children of women infected during pregnancy.

How to protect yourself from mosquitoes

Protective measures against tiger mosquitoes are standard - repellent plants, chemicals that repel mosquitoes, mosquito nets on window and doorways, vaccines against vector-borne infections. Remember that tiger mosquitoes are active during the hot season.

The largest project in this area has been implemented in Brazil. There, roadside billboards treated with an attractant and emitting carbon dioxide are used as traps. At the base of the designs are fans that suck mosquitoes into a storage tank mounted in the billboard body.

Who is the enemy of the Asian tiger mosquito

Aedes albopictus, like all other Culicidae, are not able to protect themselves from predators and survive only due to fertility.

The natural enemies of mosquitoes are predatory insects, frogs, lizards, bats, and terrestrial carnivorous mammals. These animals should not be meaninglessly destroyed, unless they spoil the crops and garden plantings.

There are many mosquito parasites in the tropics - bacteria, protozoa, parasitic worms, and tick mites. In the United States, innovative measures are being actively developed to combat mosquitoes Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti, a specific bacterium Wolbachia pipientis.

In relation to insects, it is a symbiont, without causing them direct harm. But the eggs laid by the females, which were inseminated by males infected with the Wolbachia, are not viable due to the genetic mutation.

What diseases do tiger mosquitoes carry and where can they be encountered

The tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), so named because of its color (the body of the insect is painted with white and black transverse stripes), is mainly found in places with abundant vegetation and a hot humid climate: in tropical and subtropical regions of Southeast Asia.

Until recently, this type of mosquito was distributed exclusively in these regions, but in the last few decades they began to be found on other continents. He infiltrated North and South America, Africa, Europe and Australia.

“Tiger mosquitoes are a type of mosquito of the Aedès genus, in Russian this genus is called“ bite ”. Mosquitoes of this genus are widely represented in central Russia, but specifically mosquitoes of the species Aedes albopictus are not.

Their native territory is Southeast Asia, they gravitate to the tropical climate and do not voluntarily fly to cool regions. The last few years they began to celebrate in other regions.

While they are not marked in Russia. Speaking purely theoretically, our southern regions are not very suitable for them, since these insects prefer regions where climate seasonality is not very pronounced, ”said Vadim Maryinsky, professor at the Department of Hydrobiology, Biology Department, Moscow State University, at AiF.ru.

According to him, regions in which there is a “real” winter with cold for Aedes albopictus are completely “unsuitable”.

Why are tiger mosquitoes dangerous?

A virus infected insect can transmit the disease to humans. Like a number of other blood-sucking mosquitoes, Aedes albopictus can multiply sharply over the three summer months and cause an acute outbreak of dangerous diseases.

For people who travel to France, as well as for the French, mosquitoes are dangerous because they can be carriers of the virus. But not the fact that all insects of this species carry it.

In Europe, the first such mosquito appeared in 1980 in Albania. Now insects have already settled throughout Europe. But no cases of Chikungunya or dengue have been registered so far, ”says the head of the arbovirus biology laboratory of the FSBI Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitis named after M. P. Chumakova ”RAS Galina Karganova.

How Asian mosquitoes got to Europe

According to the German publication Süddeutsche Zeitung, the migration of Asian tiger mosquitoes is caused by global warming.

Europe, as the authors of the publication write, is one of the regions where mosquitoes due to climate change will spread rapidly. In Karlsruhe and other places in southern Germany, Asiatic tiger mosquitoes were discovered in 2017 and 2018.

Last year, French health authorities recorded an increase in the number of insects in 42 departments of the country.

Among other reasons for the spread of tiger mosquitoes are the development of trade and migration between Asian states and European countries.

The south of France is probably the northernmost and most suitable territory of the day, and then it’s cool for them, ”explains Maryinsky.

The professor emphasizes: diseases transmitted by tiger mosquitoes are prevalent mainly in tropical regions. “Where there are patients, there is a carrier,” the expert explains.

Therefore, according to him, the very fact that such mosquitoes began to appear in the south of France is not a reason for panic.

Beware of the Asian Tiger Mosquito

The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes Albopictus), which is a carrier of diseases dangerous to humans, was discovered in Europe.

This type of mosquito has black and white stripes on its legs and a black and white small body.Despite the fact that its usual habitat is tropical and subtropical regions of Southeast Asia, today you can find this insect on other continents of the planet (in particular in Europe).

For many years, the Asian tiger mosquito has been a carrier of meningitis (West Nile Virus), as well as other diseases that are dangerous to the human body.

Asian Tiger Mosquito Information

These insects love moist and warm terrain. This mosquito has become the number 1 public enemy in tropical areas, as it prefers human blood.

Unlike mosquitoes, which we are accustomed to in our climate zone, the Asian tiger mosquito eats not only at night and at dawn, but also in the daytime (regardless of temperature and humidity).

Its value is between 2 mm and 10 mm. Females of these mosquitoes are larger than males, but males have thicker and larger antennae antennae (of course, it is difficult to see this difference with the naked eye), equipped with receptors that help males detect females.

As with other mosquito species, only females need blood in order to lay larvae. In other cases (like males) they feed on nectar and plant sap.

These insects attack humans in the daytime. Unfortunately, not only people are a source of blood for these mosquitoes.

They attack other mammals, rodents and birds, as a result of which these mosquitoes become carriers of various diseases from one organism to another.

The enemies of these mosquitoes are ciliates, slippers that feed on the larvae of these insects, as well as other simple microorganisms. Typically, these organisms are common in the same places as Asian tiger mosquitoes.

How do we protect ourselves from mosquitoes

The best way to prevent mosquito breeding is to clean the banks of rivers, lakes and other bodies of water from garbage. The humid habitat is crowded with places in which females can lay larvae.

This is a real paradise for mosquitoes of any kind. If you live near the river, it is best to always close the door to the house, as well as close the window with special nets.

Do not forget to use and spray against insects. In addition, all sources of water (bath, toilet, sink and so on) should be cleaned and disinfected constantly. You don’t want to have a mosquito nest in your bathroom!

In the case of swimming pools, they should be treated with insecticides that destroy the larvae, but do not harm other living organisms.

If the mosquito nest is not eliminated on time, then we run the risk of thousands of newborns dangerous insects that are immediately ready to start feeding on our blood.

Tiger mosquito carries disease

Some mosquitoes can transmit dangerous diseases, such as dengue fever and malaria. And this is evidence that the tropics are not just negatively affecting Europeans: according to experts, especially many tiger mosquitoes from Asia are common in Europe.

Scientists and the public have wondered how to join the fight against insects and protect people.

An Asian tiger mosquito breeds for about 30 years at home and outside Asia, says an international group of scientists led by Giuliano Gasperi in the online journal PLOS. "

Currently, the spread of insects in Italy, France, Spain, Greece and Switzerland is becoming threatening. “They can now be found in 28 countries on all continents except Australia and Antarctica.”

“Interdisciplinary surveillance and a dedicated unit work to educate the public and this would probably be the best way to win the battle against this new threat in Europe.”

Carriers of tropical diseases

An Asian tiger mosquito can transmit the Dengue virus and several other tropical diseases. Even malaria is transmitted through these mosquitoes.

Only in the 1960s, after 50 years of struggle and “unprecedented environmental management” with the use of insecticides, it was possible to successfully suppress malaria in Europe. Today, according to researchers, many mosquitoes, carriers of malaria, are resistant to insecticides and their use is already prohibited for environmental reasons.

But how to protect yourself from the bites of Asian tiger mosquitoes, if you travel or even are in the house, in other situations?

In Europe, a dangerous mosquito has long settled and infects people. At the end of August 2012, an old man in Greece even died of Dengue fever. It is believed that he became infected while traveling in Asian countries.

Asian tiger mosquitoes almost exterminated on two islands in China

Scientists managed to reduce the population of Asian tiger mosquitoes on two islands in the Guangzhou metropolitan area by 94 percent, according to Nature.

Scientists succeeded in reducing the wild population by releasing males infected with the Wolbachia bacterium, which prevented the reproduction of females.

This method of fighting mosquitoes is already known, but the authors improved it: they separated males and females with almost 100 percent accuracy, and selected the number of males so that they drove out wild populations from the population.

Asian tiger mosquitoes (Aedes albopictus) are endemic to the subtropical and tropical regions of Southeast Asia. However, over the past 40 years they have appeared on other continents.

Their distribution is difficult to control, as their larvae can develop in containers that are difficult to carefully treat with insecticides.

Mostly these insects are found in cities and rural areas and carry the yellow fever, dengue and chikungunya fever viruses, it is possible that they can also carry the zika virus causing the same-name fever.

Like about 40 percent of other land insects, A.albopictus populations can be infected with Wolbachia. These bacteria are symbionts of mosquitoes and bring owners both benefits and harm.

Wolbachia are transmitted through the maternal line and settle in the cells of the reproductive system, and then in various ways reduce the fertility of insects.

For example, if males infected with Wolbachia mate with a female who is not infected with the same strain of the bacterium, non-viable offspring is obtained. If a male and a female infected with the same species of bacteria mate, they multiply successfully.

So wolbachia increases the number of infected insects. On the other hand, some of its strains block the spread of pathogens in mosquito populations.

Earlier, Australian scientists managed with the help of Wolbachia to practically defeat dengue fever in a single city.

Xiaoying Zheng from the University of Sun Yat-sen and his colleagues from the United States and China set out to destroy the population of Asian tiger mosquitoes in the metropolitan areas of Guangzhou.

Scientists have conducted field experiments with A.albopictus in Guangzhou, since there is the highest rate of dengue spread in China. The city's population in 2018 was 14 million people.

As an experimental site, scientists chose two islands with an area of ​​3.3 and 10.9 square kilometers on the river flowing in Guangzhou.

A.albopictus in Guangzhou is infected with two species of Wolbachia, but none of them interferes with the spread of pathogens in the mosquito population.

The next step was for scientists to release to the experimental islands only males infected with wolbachia wPip, which would mate with wild females and deprive them of the ability to breed successfully.

If the infected wPip females were free, they would successfully mate with both wild and laboratory males, and the population would continue to exist, only the mosquitoes infected with wPip would change.

This also had its advantages, since viruses spread more slowly in this population, which means there would be fewer infected people. However, this did not solve the problem facing the scientists. Therefore, the researchers developed a method that allowed only males to be released.

Usually, scientists automatically sort mosquito pupae by size, and then also manually sort them. Now, the authors irradiated pupae with a relatively low dose of x-ray radiation.

She made females sterile, while only slightly reducing the fertility of males. As a result, only 0.24 percent of infected females who managed to leave their offspring got into nature.

The next task of the researchers was to determine at what time and how many laboratory males needed to be released so that they replaced wild individuals in the population.

For this, scientists used laboratory experiments and mathematical modeling. As a result, they received a 5: 1 ratio of laboratory males to wild ones and at the peak of the breeding season they released five million males per week on test islands. Field experiments continued in 2016 and 2017.

Fighting the spread of the Asian tiger mosquito with the help of the Wolbachia was allowed in the United States. In 2017, the Environmental Protection Agency allowed the release of mosquitoes infected with bacteria in the country.

What diseases do tiger mosquitoes carry and where can they be encountered

Rospotrebnadzor warned the Russians about the worsening epidemiological situation in France. According to the agency, the country recorded an increase in the number of tiger mosquitoes, which are carriers of dangerous diseases.

Despite the fact that the authorities of the country carry out all the necessary pest control measures, tourists are advised to take precautions to protect themselves from insect bites, use repellents and wear clothing that covers their bodies as much as possible.

Where are tiger mosquitoes and why are they called so

The tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), so named because of its color (the body of the insect is painted with white and black transverse stripes), is mainly found in places with abundant vegetation and a hot humid climate - in tropical and subtropical regions of Southeast Asia.

Until recently, this type of mosquito was distributed exclusively in these regions, but in the last few decades they began to be found on other continents. He infiltrated North and South America, Africa, Europe and Australia.

Why are tiger mosquitoes dangerous?

A virus infected insect can transmit the disease to humans. Like a number of other blood-sucking mosquitoes, Aedes albopictus can multiply sharply over the three summer months and cause an acute outbreak of dangerous diseases.

“Tiger mosquitoes are harmless. But they can carry dangerous diseases such as dengue and chikungunya. These are serious diseases, they are very common in certain regions and are quite severe.

For people who travel to France, as well as for the French, mosquitoes are dangerous because they can be carriers of the virus. But not the fact that all insects of this species carry it.

In Europe, the first such mosquito appeared in 1980 in Albania, and now insects have already spread throughout Europe. But no cases of Chikungunya or dengue have been registered so far, ”says the head of the arbovirus biology laboratory of the FSBI Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitis named after M.P. Chumakova "RAS Galina Karganova.

How Asian mosquitoes got to Europe

According to the German publication Süddeutsche Zeitung, the migration of Asian tiger mosquitoes is caused by global warming. Europe, the authors of the publication write, is one of the regions where mosquitoes due to climate change will spread rapidly.

In Karlsruhe and other places in southern Germany, Asiatic tiger mosquitoes were discovered in 2017 and 2018. Last year, French health authorities recorded an increase in the number of insects in 42 departments of the country.

Among other reasons for the spread of tiger mosquitoes are the development of trade and migration between Asian states and European countries.

“Mosquitoes could have been unintentionally brought to Europe. They could be caught in the transport of fruit or in some other way. They really take root in some regions, for example, in the south of France, but they do not fly to the north of the country.

The south of France, apparently, is the northernmost and most suitable territory of the day, and then it’s cool for them, ”Maryinsky explains. The professor emphasizes: diseases transmitted by tiger mosquitoes are prevalent mainly in tropical regions.

“Where there are patients, there is a carrier,” the expert explains. Therefore, according to him, the very fact that such mosquitoes began to appear in the south of France is not a reason for panic.

what it is

Tiger Mosquito or Aedes Albopictus This is an insect belonging to the family Culicidae. It is characterized by the presence of a black chest and abdomen, decorated with other shades.

Its total length is from 5 to 10 mm, and the females have a thin and elongated trunk, which they use to extract the blood of mammals and birds.

Finally, it should be noted that this is an invasive species that grows in Southeast Asia, although over the past centuries it has spread to all of Africa, America and Europe, and even to some parts of the Pacific Ocean in the early 80s. The tiger mosquito is included in the list of 100 most harmful invasive alien species in the world according to GEEI.

What are the symptoms of a tiger mosquito bite

Because it is an insect that has begun to live in any corner of the planet, more and more people are being bitten. In most cases, the effect of poisoning usually does not last more than 3 or 4 days. During this time, the following symptoms may appear:

• Inflammation of the skin, Poison creates an allergic effect on our skin, causing slight inflammation and redness of the skin on the affected area.
• Also, very often a rash appears on our skin after a bite of a tiger mosquito.
• Itching and general pain. As with any mosquito bite, it is normal to feel itching and general pain, especially in the affected area.
• Infection.It is possible that if we scratch too much, the bite area will become slightly infected.
• Anaphylactic shock Only in the most severe cases can an asthma attack or anaphylactic shock occur, which should be treated as soon as possible.

Tips to heal and avoid a mosquito bite

Do not worry too much after a bite of a tiger mosquito. Usually this process is something painful and annoying, but it will only last a couple of days, as we explained in the previous section.

From there, there is a series of natural remedies that will help you alleviate your symptoms:

1. Alcohol, ice and aloe vera. Firstly, the alcohol that you use to heal wounds, you can apply a mosquito directly to the bite of a tiger with a couple of compresses or cotton, so we also prevent the zone from becoming infected, you can also apply a little ice to try a tumor or burning, In addition , you have the opportunity to use a little aloe vera, a plant that has analgesic effects and painkillers for the skin.
2. Medicines and analgesics. At the same time, there are a number of medications that can help you cure a bite of tiger mosquitoes. The first is a series of antihistamines that paralyze an allergy (caused by histamine) and it is usually very effective, as they have an immediate effect. There are also many oral corticosteroids and analgesics that have a similar effect.

How to cure mosquito bites with these natural remedies

In addition, to relieve the pain, itching, and swelling caused by a mosquito bite of this type, it is best to first wash the area with soap and water.

We can use various home remedies, such as:

• bicarbonate, using bicarbonate diluted in water for a bite to reduce burning and swelling.
• ice is undoubtedly one of the best and most frequent options for any bite or edema that we have on our skin.
• A topical anesthetic that contains praxomin because this component will help reduce pain and itching.
• ibuprofen or some anti-inflammatory drugs can reduce the swelling and redness that causes a bite.

Is it possible to avoid the bites of tiger mosquitoes

There are several options to avoid tiger mosquito bites. One of them is simply covered with not too bright clothes. Both lower and upper limbs, when we go to a place with too much moisture.

We can also install mosquito nets or mosquito lamps in our home. Finally, citronella bracelets. They are also a very effective option to consider.

In any case, if the bite persists on those days when it is convenient to see a doctor, and on previous days, so as not to scratch or rub, you should avoid any contact so as not to cause more harm.