Giant mosquitoes in East Dunbartonshire?

An East Dunbartonshire resident was shocked to discover a large mosquito near her home recently.
The splattered bugThe splattered bug
The splattered bug

Ms McBride emailed to say that, having lived in the South of France previously, she recognised its distinctive buzzing noise and appearance.

But the Bearsden householder managed to splat the bug before it had the chance to bite her.

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She said: “It looks like we didn’t just welcome athletes to Glasgow this summer for the Commonwealth Games but also mozzy’s onto our shores.

“Maybe it’s the warmer weather or perhaps they came over for the Games!”

Dr Heather Ferguson, senior lecturer at the Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and comparative medicine at Glasgow University, said: “There are indeed mosquitoes in Scotland. Approximatley 30 mosquito species are known in the UK, and roughly nine to 10 species have been recorded in Scotland.

“Culex pipiens is one of the more common species that you’d find in Scotland.

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“Some UK mosquitoes may have the potential to carry diseases (e.g. West Nile Virus to humans and animals), but to date there is almost no record of any mosquito borne disease infecting people in the UK.

“There used to be rare cases of malaria in parts of the UK but not for over a century.”

Have you seen any mosquitoes or other exotic beasties buzzing around this summer? Get in touch at [email protected]