Tiger mosquitoes now live in at least 26 states, including most of the southeastern U.S., Texas, California and Hawaii.
They prefer the warmer southern states but have been found as far north as Michigan and Minnesota.
Aedes aegypti (the yellow fever mosquito) and Aedes albopictus (the Asian tiger mosquito) have been detected in the County of San Diego. These mosquitoes are not native to California and can transmit the viruses that cause Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Fortunately, there have been no recent cases of these viruses being transmitted locally in California. Aedes notoscriptus (the Australian Backyard Mosquito) has also been detected in the County of San Diego. The invasive Aedes mosquitoes are “container breeders” meaning that they prefer to lay their eggs in small containers of water (even 1/4″ of water is enough!). Their eggs can even survive for over a year in dry containers, and will hatch when water is added. Aedes mosquitoes do not fly far; their breeding source is likely to be close by – either around your home or on a neighboring property.