Beware: Invasive Mosquito Species Spotted in Czech Republic

An invasive mosquito species, Aedes japonicus (Asian bush mosquito), has been identified in the Czech Republic for the first time.

Hygienists have recorded its presence in the Olomouc region. While these mosquitoes can potentially spread certain diseases, no instances of disease transmission to humans have been reported in the country.

However, they do bite humans and are active during the day and evening. This species has been under surveillance in Europe since 2000, and it was first confirmed in the Czech Republic in 2021, near the state borders of southern Moravia and southern Bohemia.

The larvae of this mosquito species develop in both natural and artificial water reservoirs, including barrels, containers, tires, pots, gutters, tree cavities, and rock cavities. They overwinter in their native East Asia as eggs, and in warmer regions, they can survive the winter as larvae. In the Olomouc region, they have been found in IBC containers with retained rainwater.

Until now, hygienists have not focused on mosquitoes in intentionally retained rainwater in gardens and near homes, as these areas were primarily inhabited by mosquito species that suck the blood of birds, not humans.

Unlike these native mosquitoes, the females of the Aedes japonicus species suck the blood of mammals and actively bite humans, particularly during the day and early evening.

Due to the presence of this invasive mosquito species, hygienists have advised a fundamental change in how water in artificial reservoirs is treated to prevent mosquito breeding.

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