Aedes albopictus

SPECIES: Aedes albopictus ( order Diptera )

COMMON NAME: Asian tiger mosquito

SIZE: generally smaller than the common mosquito, from 2 to 8 mm

LIFECYCLE: Overwintering eggs are laid in the autumn and hatch in the spring (April-May) when daily temperatures are above 10° C. The female lays 50 to 80 eggs. "Summer" eggs, if submerged, hatch within 24 hours. "Autumn" eggs can enter diapause (a kind of lethargy or hibernation) and withstand even polar temperatures.

FEATURES: the usual stinging sucker all mosquitoes possess. Smaller in size than the Culex pipiens, they also differ in colouring: black and white stripes on the tarsi, and a white stripe that is always perpendicular to the thorax. Habits from Culex pipens: it is active both day and night, but mainly during daylight hours, flying silently and at a low height. It is very aggressive compared to Culex p. and dogged in pursuit of its meal.

HABITAT: its introduction to Italy occurred at the end of the 1980s. Of Asian origin, it arrived through the transport of used tires. In the last few years, it has expanded rapidly throughout the Italian territory so that it can be considered endemic to nearly all regions.

DIET: the female is blood-eating insect. The male does not suck blood and feeds only on sugary substances.

DAMAGE: its bites are very itchy and, in humans, often occur in the lower extremities. Aedes albopictus can transmit pathogens and viruses such as West Nile fever virus, yellow fever, dengue fever, Chikungunya fever, and the Dirofilaria immitis parasite.

I want to sterminate it