You can view the page at http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/content.php?r=405-Are-we-getting-more-mosquito-s-in-the-UK
Not heard of any cases as far as the Midlands, but have heard of cases on the south cost. the weather has alway been our biggest barrier with a good cold spell wiping out most of the problem. Interesting article though and certainly pause for thought
Sounds logical but I'm not sure if cold really wipes them out. They survive very well indeed in marshy areas of Alaska and Canada.
very true, but most of these types of environments have long since been drained for agricultural development in the central part of the UK, so their normal refuge from the cold is no longer available. Marsh area maintain a slightly higher temp caused by natural decomposition of the plant material, although it is very slight, it's enough to provide some measure of protection to the larvae over the Winter, and snow itself provides a insulation blanket on the top, protecting from the harsh blizzards and low temperatures.
It is a good point though thank you for pointing it out
plenty of standin water in the Midlands ponds,canals puddles on waste ground animal troughs to name but a few. Favourite breeding groundofthe Asian Tiger mozzie is stagmnant water in old tyres. Also how it got spread out of native area.
Quote; NHS Direct statistics show 9,061 calls in England complaining of bites and stings Really? That just sounds wrong to me! I've never rung NHS Direct for anything, I can't fathom why someone would ring about a mosquito bite...
Quote; NHS Direct statistics show 9,061 calls in England complaining of bites and stings Really? That just sounds wrong to me! I've never rung NHS Direct for anything, I can't fathom why someone would ring about a mosquito bite...
Is that the whole quote? If so it's unclear if they were just mosquito bite or maybe bee/wasp stings and spider bites as well.
Your big problem is likely to be dengue as the mosquito and the eggs of Aedes albopictus apparently can tolerate sub-zero conditions and the eggs dos not need to be in water but near water and can live in Switzerland.
What does Switzerland have to with anything? Lots of things live in Switzerland. It has a very nice climate, which is attractive to mosquitoes, wasps, butterflies, moths and bankers. In summer it's a lot warmer there than it is here. I spent all my summers there as a kid and love the place. I never came across many mozzys or midges though, primarily I think because there was very little stagnant water. Lot of horse flies though!