National Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) Survey in The Netherlands 2010-2013.

From 2010 onwards, a nationwide mosquito monitoring scheme has been conducted in The Netherlands with the aim of gaining crucial information about mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) species composition, geographical distributions, biodiversity, and habitat preferences. The results of this study are based on 778 randomly sampled mosquito locations. These are divided into three main habitat types: urban, rural-agricultural, and natural areas. Twenty-seven mosquito species were found: 26 indigenous and 1 exotic, Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald, 1901). The preliminary results are presented here, with details of their species distribution and seasonality. Monitoring the temporal and spatial distribution of mosquitoes is an essential step in the risk analysis of emerging mosquito-borne diseases.

Introduction and control of three invasive mosquito species in the Netherlands, July-October 2010.

In July 2010, during routine mosquito surveillance inspections at companies that import used tires, three invasive species were found at five locations in the Netherlands: the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti), the Asian tiger mosquito (Ae. albopictus), and the American rock-pool mosquito (Ae. atropalpus). This is the first time that Ae. aegypti is reported from the Netherlands. Mosquito control was initiated one week after the first invasive mosquito was found, using adulticides and larvicides. The available data suggest that the implemented control measures have been effective for this season.