This Bites! Asian Tiger Mosquito Found in Allegheny County

The Allegheny County Health Department is warning residents that the Asian Tiger mosquito has been found throughout Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood.

“Complaints about the Asian Tiger have been limited to Lawrenceville. However, it could turn up elsewhere in the region because the Tiger has been found in two other municipalities in previous seasons. Residents should keep their gutters clean and remove all water-holding containers on their property. You do not want this mosquito breeding in your neighborhood,” said Acting Health Director Dr. Ron Voorhees.

Here are five things you need to know about the aggressive insect from CBS News:

1. Unlike other mosquitoes that tend to only come out at certain times, the Asian-tiger variety will bite all day long, making it hard to avoid the bug.

2. The black-and-white striped bug was brought to Texas 30 years ago in a tire shipment. Since then, it has spread to 27 states, including Pennsylvania.

3. The insect is particularly effective at spreading illness and these bugs are known to be infected with as many as 30 known diseases in a laboratory, including West Nile virus and Dengue fever.

4. This insect has a history of causing epidemics and is blamed for causing the Chikungunya epidemic on the French Island of La Reunion between 2005 to 2006. Around 265,000 people became infected with the virus, and 254 of them died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

5.  The Asian Tiger mosquito eggs are also much stronger than the average mosquito and are tough enough to survive the cold winter.