Japanese rock pool mosquito arrives in Minnesota

There's another reason for Minnesotans to rid their property of water-holding containers, including old tires, buckets and cans.

It's the Japanese rock pool mosquito, which the state Health Department says on Monday can transmit the LaCrosse encephalitis virus and West Nile virus to humans.

The mosquito was accidentally imported into the United States several years ago and has been spreading ever since. It's now established in five southeastern Minnesota counties.

This spring it was determined that its eggs can survive a Minnesota winter.

Health Department expert David Neitzel says the Japanese rock pool mosquito is only one of several species of disease-carrying mosquitoes that breed in water-holding containers.

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