Mosquito: nationwide surveillance
Updated 10 August 2017
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mosquito-surveillance/mosquito-nationwide-surveillance
About the mosquito survey
Public Health England (PHE) runs the nationwide mosquito surveillance project in collaboration with a range of organisations across the country.
The project aims to develop and update our understanding of:
- the status
- distribution
- abundance of these potential endemic vector species
Current understanding regarding distribution of key vector mosquito species is informed in part by PHE’s mosquito reporting system, which relies on entomologists and other interested people to send mosquitoes for identification to PHE.
PHE also run a network of mosquito traps. By collecting mosquitoes we aim to understand the population dynamics and seasonality of mosquitoes at key habitats and across regions.
The project collaborates with organisations across the country to run the mosquito traps. Sites have been chosen to maximise the species diversity sampled, and to sample populations of mosquitoes known to cause a biting nuisance.
Mosquito traps are run for 2 weeks every month, from mid-April to mid-October, and samples are identified by PHE’s medical entomology.
If you are interested in being involved with mosquito surveillance, please email [email protected].
Invasive mosquito surveillance
PHE conducts surveillance for invasive mosquitoes in the UK, and this is facilitated by industry and business across the country. There are a number of exotic mosquitoes that have in recent years become established in Europe.
The Asian Tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is one of these and is identified as an insect that could potentially arrive in the UK. Until late 2016 there had been no confirmed reports of this mosquito in the UK. Suspected sightings do occur every summer, but have always previously been identified as the endemic species Culiseta annulata, which looks similar.
Through routine surveillance run by PHE, we confirmed a small number of eggs of Aedes albopictus in one trap in Kent on 30 September 2016. As a precaution we advised the local authority to use insecticide as a means of control. Enhanced monitoring in the area was implemented and no further evidence of this mosquito in that area has so far been found.
In late July 2017, eggs and larvae of Ae. albopictus were found in a second location in Kent. Control was performed and, so far, enhanced surveillance has found no further evidence of the mosquito.
There is currently no risk to public health in the UK.
PHE is interested in receiving submissions from people affected by mosquito nuisance biting. Please submit mosquitoes to PHE Medical Entomology for identification.