CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Franklin County's Board of Commissioners on Tuesday issued a reminder to residents about how they can protect themselves and others against the invasive and bothersome Asian tiger mosquito.
"Asian tiger mosquito populations typically increase around mid-July, peak in mid-September and taper off in October as nighttime temperatures drop," the commissioners said in a press release. "These pests are black in color with white stripes, and they prefer mammals – including humans – as a source of their blood meal. While many types of mosquitoes only become a nuisance around dusk and dawn, Asian tiger mosquitoes also bite during daytime hours.
"Unlike other species that are attracted to flood water and retention ponds, Asian tiger mosquitoes prefer to use water-filled artificial containers to breed. Any artificial container that holds water – bird baths, clogged rain gutters, flower pots, buckets, old tires, tarps – can breed Asian tiger mosquitoes. Even something as small as a water-filled bottle cap can be the perfect place for one of these pests to lay their eggs, which will emerge into larvae and then into adult mosquitoes."
Asian tiger mosquitoes have a very short flight range compared to other mosquitoes; typically, they do not fly more than 200 yards from where they are born, the commissioners said. This little-known tidbit is important because homeowners are likely pestered by mosquitoes breeding on their own property or on a neighbor’s property.
"The easiest way residents can eliminate Asian tiger mosquitoes is to empty water from artificial containers and store them so they will not collect water in the future," the commissioners said. "Eliminating breeding habitats is the No. 1 defensive strategy in reducing Asian tiger mosquitoes; without the ability to lay eggs, populations will dwindle quickly."
Without the community’s attention to the Asian tiger mosquito, Franklin County will continue to see this pest grow in population and take over new areas of the region, the commissioners cautioned.
"It is essential that residents do their part to keep these mosquitoes at bay and eliminate standing water sources from homes and properties," the commissioners said. "Working together will go a long way to fending off the Asian tiger mosquito."
For a more in-depth, comprehensive look at mosquito surveillance and control methods in Franklin County, go here.