Disease-carrying mosquito reaches B.C.

A species of invasive, disease-carrying mosquito has been found in British Columbia – the first such discovery for all of Western Canada.

Michael Jackson is the president of mosquito management company Culex Environmental, which provides services for Metro Vancouver.

This is the first sighting of the species Aedes japonicus – native to Asia – in Western Canada and, scientists believe, was brought in from the U.S.as a result of human action.

“I don’t think it’s anything to get too concerned about”, says Jackson.

“West Nile was never in Canada before either”, he said, adding that could be a cautionary tale for the eventual arrival of a new disease. “You can double-check to see if you have the right species”. The larvae and adults were discovered in February 2015 in water in a tarpaulin and the findings were released in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

In late May, a female was captured 13 kilometres east of the site “taking a bloodmeal”.

That led the researchers to conclude at least two populations have been established in the Lower Mainland.

Researchers from Simon Fraser University are studying a new disease carrying mosquito that they say has landed in B.C. and could pose serious health risks.

The mosquito has been known to spread rapidly in other regions it has invaded and often is found breeding in old auto tires.

According to Belton, four new species of mosquito have arrived in BC in recent years.