Another mosquito makes Minnesota home

While thousands continue to clean-up in the wake of the recent flooding, a University of Wisconsin entomologist expects an onslaught of mosquitos for “the next three to four weeks.”

Now it appears that another species of Culicidae has moved into Minnesota, and it has a reputation as a harbinger of West Nile Virus. Mary Lynn Smith reports for the Star Tribune.

The Japanese rock pool mosquito was found in Scott County, where inspectors were taking a routine sampling earlier this month. The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District announced its discovery Wednesday after identifying the exotic species earlier this week. Most of the 52 mosquito species in the metro area are mere nuisances: They bite but generally don’t make you sick. But about six to eight species that make Minnesota home can be health threats.

They can transmit West Nile and other viruses to humans, said Kirk Johnson, a vector ecologist for the district.