A number of Asian tiger mosquitoes have been identified in a residential part of Veenendaal near Utrecht, government inspectors said on Thursday.

Action is being taken to eradicate the mosquitos so that they do not establish themselves in the Netherlands, the NVWA said. Officials are also setting traps to see if the mosquitoes are more widespread.

The eradication efforts will focus on water in pots and water barrels where the mosquitoes breed and which will be treated with chemicals to kill the larvae. The mosquitoes are unlikely to be carrying diseases and the health risk to humans is minimal, the NVWA said.

In 2013, the mosquito, which can carry dangerous diseases such as yellow fever, was identified at several used tyre import companies. The tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is a native of south east Asia and is thought to spread via bamboo plant imports and on car tyres.

The European centre for infectious diseases said at the time that the tiger mosquito, an aggressive, day-time biting insect, had made its home in the Netherlands, but Dutch health officials denied this was the case.

Broadcaster NOS reported last month that the heavy rain and high temperatures so far this year have created a mosquito plague in the Netherlands.