Swarms of blood-sucking mosquitoes that can carry tropical diseases have been spotted across several areas of Scotland, experts have warned.
Insect experts from the University of Glasgow report that there are at least 16 different types of mosquitoes seeking blood to feed on, including the culex pipiens, which is more common in hot regions like South America, Asia, and Africa.
Professor Heather Ferguson stated that her team at the Centre for Virus Research was surprised to discover these mosquitoes thriving in the warm and wet summers typically associated with midges.
They caught these relentless insects using traps placed in 24 locations across Scotland, attracting them with carbon dioxide, which resembles human breath.
Out of the approximately 4,000 mosquito species worldwide, they identified 16 varieties.
The pests are said to be growing in number amid warming temperatures that could raise the threat of nasty infections like dengue, Zika and even malaria.
The hotspots were around Loch Kinnordy in Angus and Broubster Leans in Caithness.
She said: “With warming temperatures we’re going to see larger numbers of mosquitoes, potentially different species including some that might be migrating from other areas where they can transmit diseases.
“They may be active for longer periods which means they maybe do pose a risk.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 219 million people contract malaria from mosquitoes each year globally, resulting in 400,000 deaths.
Experts stressed that the type of mosquito which carries malaria is unlikely to be found in the UK any time soon, though an early warning system is important.
Dr Nick Phin, the medical director at Public Health Scotland, said mosquitoes could carry potentially deadly diseases so it was important to understand how they were spreading.
He said that in recent years the West Nile virus, which is mainly transmitted to people through the bites of infected mosquitoes, had been spreading across Europe.
“Cases have been identified in France,” Dr Phin said.
“It doesn’t take a leap of the imagination to see that very soon they could be detected in England and in Scotland. It’s the warmer winters rather than the summers which allow the mosquitoes to survive.”
