JERSEY’S insect expert has warned Islanders that mosquitoes are on the rise in the Island due to the wet and mild summer.

Scott Meadows, pictured, the States entomologist, said that the numbers of the pests would keep rising because of climate change and warned Islanders to take notice of stagnant pools of water which are breeding grounds.

Mr Meadows said that he had spoken to Waste Regulation and Health Protection about whether the mosquitoes had come from the garden recycling plant at La Collette, but said that this was a physical impossibility.

‘If it was La Collette, it would have happened every year,’ he said. ‘If that site has puddles, then it may allow mosquitoes to breed, but they could also come from farms, marshland or people’s gardens — anywhere that has stagnant water.
‘We have had a very wet August and it has been wet and warm, which is exactly what they want. Jersey is normally hot and dry, but it has been raining every couple of days lately — ideal conditions for mosquitoes.’