Past April, clouds of mosquitos emerged from one of our rain barrels. Close-up photos were taken with a hand-held camera. The images enabled me to identify them as Asian bush mosquitos.
The Asian bush mosquito is another invasive species. Aedes japonicus, endemic to Japan and Korea, has reached North America and Europe through the trade of used tires. The mosquito has rapidly colonized large areas of central Europe both through passive transport (vehicles, used tires trade), and through active dispersal. The species prefers colder temperatures as compared to the tiger mosquito.
So far, no diseases have been associated with this species in Europe. In urban areas, the measures taken against the tiger mosquito are effective against the bush mosquito as well.
Aedes japonicus is not an important disease vector. Together with other species, it is regarded as vector of the West Nile virus. In the laboratory, dengue and chikungunya transmission has been demonstrated.
[Text in parts from the website of the Swiss Mosquito Network]