Asian Tiger Mosquito

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, originated in the forests of Southeast Asia but has become one of the most widely distributed invasive mosquitoes on Earth. Its spread has been driven largely by global trade, particularly the shipment of used tires and ornamental lucky bamboo, both of which can hold the small amounts of standing water the species needs for its eggs.

This mosquito is highly adaptable, thriving in both natural forest edges and dense urban and suburban neighborhoods, wherever small containers collect rainwater. Its bold black-and-white striping gives it a tiger-like appearance and its common name.

Unlike many mosquitoes that are most active at dawn and dusk, the Asian tiger mosquito is a persistent daytime biter, making it a familiar nuisance in gardens and backyards during daylight hours.

• Small to medium mosquito, 2-10 mm long
• Dark body with bold silvery-white scale markings
• A single, distinctive white stripe running down the center of the thorax from front to back
• White banding on the legs
• Lookalikes: the yellow fever mosquito has a lyre- or violin-shaped pair of curved white stripes on the thorax rather than one straight central stripe

Originally native to forested areas of Southeast Asia, the Asian tiger mosquito is now established across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia, thriving in temperate to tropical climates. It is common in suburban and urban settings, breeding in any small container that holds standing water, including tires, buckets, flowerpot saucers, and natural tree holes.

This species is an aggressive daytime biter, most active in the early morning and late afternoon, and feeds on a wide range of hosts including mammals, birds, and reptiles. Adults tend to rest in shaded vegetation between blood meals. Larvae are filter feeders, consuming microorganisms and organic particles suspended in the small pools of water where they develop.

Eggs are laid singly just above the waterline inside containers and can resist drying out for extended periods, sometimes months. When the container is flooded again by rain, the eggs hatch and larvae pass through four aquatic instars while filter-feeding, then pupate in the same water. Adults typically emerge within one to two weeks under warm conditions. Many generations occur per year in warm climates, while the species overwinters as drought-resistant eggs in cooler temperate regions.