Connecticut’s Council on Environmental Quality reported a rise in the population of a mosquito that may carry tropical diseases. The number of Asian tiger mosquitoes collected in 2017 in the state more than doubled from the previous year.
The report indicated that mosquito populations grew as it got warmer and wetter in Connecticut.
Philip Armstrong, the director of Connecticut’s statewide mosquito and trapping program, conducted the research.
“We expect that this species will continue to increase and become more widely distributed and more abundant in conjunction with climate change,” Armstrong said.
Asian tiger mosquitoes can carry the Zika virus, the Dengue virus and the Chikungunya virus, but there is still only a low risk of Connecticut residents contracting these tropical diseases.
“Right now, here in the state, it's really primarily a pest species. It likes to feed on people and it's found in more urban environments,” Armstrong said. “The concern for virus transmission is very low.”
The Asian tiger mosquito is black, with a singular white stripe down its back. They are mostly found on the shoreline between Greenwich and New Haven.
