MOZZIE MENACE
Scotland becomes a haven for foreign mosquitoes – and they’re everywhere
Experts have revealed why the pests are growing across the country
BLOOD-sucking mosquitoes that can carry tropical diseases have been found in all corners of Scotland, bug experts have warned.
The pests are said to be growing in number amid warming temperatures that could raise the threat of nasty infections like dengue, Zika and even malaria.
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Insect boffins at the University of Glasgow say there are at least 16 types of mosquito looking for flesh to feed on - including the culex pipiens more common in sweltering places like South America, Asia and Africa.
Prof Heather Ferguson said her team at the Centre for Virus Research was surprised to find the fearsome flyers thriving in the warm and wet summers we normally associate with midgies.
They captured the insatiable insects using traps located in 24 sites across Scotland, luring them in with carbon dioxide which mimics human breath.
The identified 16 varieties from the roughly 4,000 that exist around the globe.
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The hot spots were around Loch Kinnordy in Angus and Broubster Leans in Caithness.
She said: “With warming temperatures we’re going to see larger numbers of mosquitoes, potentially different species including some that might be migrating from other areas where they can transmit diseases.
“They may be active for longer periods which means they maybe do pose a risk.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) reckons 219 million contract malaria from mozzies each year with 400,000 dying around the world.
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Despite the rise here, experts are keen to point out the risk of Scots being munched on by a malaria-carrying bug is unlikely.
But they are calling for an early warning system as the risk grows.
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Dr Nick Phin, the medical director at Public Health Scotland, said: “Without a baseline to know what is currently happening it’s difficult to say whether things are getting better or worse.
“If we do have a formal system, the hope is we’ll identify some of these species early and take measures to hopefully stop them breeding in the UK.
“We need some formal structure around this surveillance.
“We need this to be continued in a very systematic and structured way to understand what’s happening but to detect early incursions of these mosquitoes into Scotland.”