Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are a smaller part of the current UK disease picture than ticks, but they are still important. Some species are widespread and bothersome, and mosquito-borne diseases are rising globally as climate and travel patterns change.
UK Context
Current mosquito-borne disease risk in the UK is low for most people. This section focuses on practical awareness, credible data, and early warning signs of environmental change.
In practical terms, this means learning where mosquitoes breed, which species have already been recorded, and how to report anything unusual.
View Mosquito Records on the Map
Use the Vector Maps page and switch to the Mosquitoes tab to explore post-2000 UK records from GBIF.
Open vector maps ->Mosquito Species in This Site
These species were selected for education and UK data exploration. Records can be sparse in some locations.
Culex pipiens s.l.
Common House Mosquito Complex
A species complex common in UK urban and peri-urban habitats, often linked with standing water near homes.
Culex modestus
Rice Field Mosquito
A wetland-associated species that is important in European West Nile virus ecology and increasingly relevant to UK surveillance.
Aedes albopictus
Asian Tiger Mosquito
An invasive species monitored closely in the UK due to its role in global dengue transmission.
Aedes vexans
Floodwater Mosquito
A native floodwater mosquito that matters for West Nile surveillance after the first UK mosquito detection of WNV in 2025.
Mosquito-Borne Disease Pages
Useful Things to Know
- Mosquitoes usually need standing water to breed, so containers, buckets, and blocked gutters matter.
- Many UK mosquito bites are nuisance bites rather than signs of serious disease, but unusual species still matter for surveillance.
- If you think you have found something unusual, use the reporting guidance on the citizen science page.