TY - JOUR T1 - Autumnal development of vernal mosquitoes in Kampinos Forest near Warsaw JF - European Mosquito Bulletin Y1 - 1999 A1 - Wegner, Eizbieta SP - 21 EP - 24 AB -

After sampling during the whole of September had failed to detect any adult mosquitoes, mass emergence of adult Aedes mosquitoes was observed in the Kampinos Forest near Warsaw at the beginning of October 1995. The autumnal mosquito fauna was composed of 11 Aedes species: Ae. cinereus, Ae. cantans, Ae. communis, Ae. punctor, Ae. sticticus, Ae. annulipes, Ae. excrucians, Ae. diantaeus, Ae. vexans, Ae. cataphylla and Ae. intrudens. These were present until the middle of November when the first winter frosts appeared.

The summer of 1995 was very hot and extremely dry in Poland, with no rain for almost two months prior to the end of August, when heavy rainfall filled pools usually formed in the spring as a result of snowmelt. This caused the eggs of several normally vernal mosquito species to hatch and develop.

Poland night-time temperatures and the duration of daylight in September are similar to those in March-April. It is considered probable that these factors also contributed to this unseasonal appearance of mosquito species typical of spring. The summer species found at this time had been unable to develop earlier because of the summer drought.

VL - 5 ER -