What is this insect?

grizzly

Some kind of gnat or a mosquito? I've got them in my house for the first time (last year it was ants). The milder weather means that they're living longer then I'd expect.

cligereen

You are quite right, it's a mosquito.

WaltKowalski

There are mosquitos in Ireland???
So many weird insects about. And spiders are getting much stranger and bigger too.

locum-motion

WaltKowalski wrote: »

There are mosquitos in Ireland???

Yep, sure are.

DrIndy

looks like a mosquito! Love the squished photo!

Tree

i think the spiders are getting bigger coz it's time for them to make babies now...

TirNaNog.

but the one's in Ireland dont carry malaria do they?

cligereen

Irish mossies do not carry malaria (yet) but the malaria carrying ones have been spreading steadily north across Africa and into Europe for some time. Maybe something to do with global warming.

However, if a mini ice age is forecast as I read in the weather forum then I reckon they'll be heading back south fairly smartly!

DrIndy

Remember malaria is species specific - you can't get pig or sheep malaria - only a human type - so you don't just need a mosquito to carry it but a reserve of humans with it for an epidemic.

If I remember correctly - there are 7 species of mosquito in northern europe capable of carrying malaria.

Malaria was endemic in london until the westminster marshes were drained in the middle ages. It was endemic in italy until eliminated with DDT around the second world war and also in northern australia - but in northern oz - the very sparse population made it possible to treat everyone who had it to eliminate the human reservoir and hence australia is the only tropical country without malaria.

Wibbs

I read somewhere malaria was here too way back in the day. "The ague" it was called IIRC Again marshes outside Dublin were to blame. The warm weather before the little ice age may have had something to do with it.