Pest profile

Asian Bush Mosquito

Aedes japonicus · Diptera: Culicidae[5]

The Asian bush mosquito, also called the Asian rock pool mosquito, is an invasive species from East Asia first found in the United States in 1998. It breeds in tires, buckets and other water-holding containers and tolerates cooler weather than other invasive container mosquitoes.[1]

Asian bush mosquito resting on a person's fingertip, showing its dark thorax with pale stripes, banded abdomen and black-and-white banded legs
Asian bush mosquito resting on a person's fingertip, showing its dark thorax with pale stripes, banded abdomen and black-and-white banded legs. (c) Ray Fisher, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0

How to identify it

  • A medium-sized dark mosquito with golden stripes on the top of the thorax that form a lyre-like pattern.[1]
  • Patches of black and white scales mark the sides of the thorax, and the legs are banded black and white.[1]
  • Males have feathery antennae; females are larger and lack them.[1]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Asian tiger mosquitoHas a single silver-white line running down the middle of the thorax instead of a golden lyre pattern.[1]
Yellow fever mosquitoCarries a silver, not golden, lyre-shaped pattern on the top of the thorax.[1]

Where it lives

Native to Japan, Korea, Taiwan, southern China and Russia. In the United States it is found in every state east of the Mississippi River and in parts of the Midwest, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii, plus parts of Canada and Europe.[1]

Biology and life cycle

Females lay small black, cigar-shaped eggs just above the waterline inside containers; the eggs survive drying and freezing and can wait out the winter.[1]

Larvae grow in natural containers such as tree holes, rock pools and bamboo, and in tires, flowerpots, rain barrels, debris and concrete structures.[1][2]

It shows up earlier in the year than other Aedes; in the Northeast larvae develop from March to November and adults fly from May to November.[1]

Where container water does not stay frozen for long stretches, larvae can survive the winter.[1]

Used tires moved in international trade are the likely way it reached new countries.[1]

Damage and signs

  • A biting nuisance around homes: females readily feed on people, and the species reproduces well where people live.[1][2]

Health risk

It is not considered an important disease carrier so far, but wild-caught mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile and La Crosse viruses, and in the lab it can transmit several other viruses.[1]

Control

Prevention

Wear long sleeves and pants and use an EPA-registered repellent such as DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus or PMD.[4][1]

Keep them out

Cover rain barrels and water storage containers tightly with lids or wire mesh, and keep window and door screens repaired.[3]

Sanitation

Empty, scrub, turn over, cover or throw out water-holding containers once a week, including buckets, planters, tires and uncovered trash cans.[3][1]

Pesticides

Where containers can't be removed, a larvicide applied to the water adds to the effect of container cleanup; this combination has reduced Asian bush mosquito numbers.[1][3]

Common questions

How do I tell an Asian bush mosquito from an Asian tiger mosquito?
Look at the top of the thorax: the Asian bush mosquito has golden stripes, while the Asian tiger mosquito has one silver-white stripe down the center.[1]
Why do I see these mosquitoes so early in spring?
This species tolerates cool temperatures better than other Aedes, so its larvae develop earlier in the year and its eggs survive freezing winters.[1]

Sources

  1. University of Florida IFAS Extension (EDIS), “Asian Bush Mosquito, Asian Rock Pool Mosquito, Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald, 1901) (IN1307).” edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1307 (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. Purdue University Extension Entomology, “Mosquitoes (Public Health Entomology: Insects and Ticks).” extension.entm.purdue.edu/publichealth/insects/mosquito.html (accessed 2026-10-06)
  3. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Mosquito Control at Home (reviewed April 16, 2024).” www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/mosquito-control/mosquito-control-at-home.html (accessed 2026-10-06)
  4. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Preventing Mosquito Bites.” www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/prevention/index.html (accessed 2026-10-06)
  5. iNaturalist, “Aedes japonicus taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1112094 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-06. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.