Mosquito bites, will they become more common in the UK?

Mosquito bites protection at home as mosquitoes get closer to home

With recent news that Mosquitoes are moving into UK cities, concerns over Mosquito bites when abroad will become a problem while at home too. Currently UK moquitoes don’t carry diseases, but chances of potential outbreaks in future as they breed in urban areas makes this more likely.

The reasons they are getting closer to home is twofold:  the rise of water butts in UK gardens, coupled with milder temperatures has led to a rise in mosquitoes and invevitably a rise in mosquito bites. More and more of us make use of water butts to save money and water, but this increase means that whilst one water butt is not such a problem. However, the combined amount of water butt containers across many residential gardens has provided a large area of habitat for these breeding moquitoes.

Recent research has discovered some species of mosquitoes found in their tests can transmit diseases such as West Nile Virus and malaria in other countries. The risk here is when people returning or entering the UK with malaria are bitten, it could be carried to another person.

Whilst the risk of someone being bitten before being treated is relatively small currently, with a rise in these disease transmitting mosquitoes the risk increases. Mosquitoes are also changing their behaviour to adapt to the habitat, for example favouring water butts which provides both a habitat and a resource of food.

Mosquito protection may no longer be a step in your holiday checklist, instead a regular part of protection whilst at home too. Find out what products you can use to protect yourself from mosquito bites, abroad and at home too.

Find out more on the BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27491891

Tags: mosquito bites, mosquito protection, mosquito repellent, Mosquitoes & Gnats! get rid of midges, water butts