Report of exotic mosquitoes imported into Darwin port area 31 January 2001

Territory Health Services and the Australian Ouarantine Inspection Service recently released details of the interception of a high-risk importation of exotic mosqitoes into the Frances Bay port facilities in Darwin in the Northern Territory. The importation occurred in a damaged vehicle offloaded from a cargo vessel, which arrived from Dili in East Timor 31/1/2001. An Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) officer detected the importation after live flying mosquitoes were observed flying from the just offloaded vehicle on the afternoon 31/1/2001. Live larvae and pupae were observed on the poorly accessible floor of the vehicle in approximately one litre of shallow water