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Nine mistakes to avoid to get rid of the tiger mosquito, well installed in Corrèze

“We can’t take any more of all these tiger mosquitoes, a good mosquito control operation would solve our problem!” Some advocate for a formal chemical fight against this invader, which can potentially be a vector of serious diseases (like dengue, chikungunia or zika).

It is the wrong target. Because it is, in reality, the eggs which are the nerve of the war: for an adult mosquito suppressed, it is hundreds of larvae which are always safe and which wait only for hatching to rage in turn .

Aedes albopictus, giving a clandestine acts.

Aedes albopictus, its scientific name, has an average lifespan of around a month, and females can lay around 200 eggs every twelve days! Just do the math …

As the tiger mosquito season is in full swing, an overview, in nine received ideas, of the best things to do to get rid of this threat who loves our gardens.

1) Against the tiger mosquito, I, a private individual, can do nothing.

FAUX

Each one can be the relay of a regional fight against this insect. Or ? In his garden, on his terrace, his balcony or his window sills, quite simply.

Presence of the tiger mosquito: Corrèze remains classified red

2) The tiger mosquito rages at night. And at night, I sleep.

FAUX

In reality, the tiger mosquito is “a particularly aggressive species towards humans during the day,” explains the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of New Aquitaine.

In Corrèze, “there are everywhere, explains Nicolas Boissis, from the departmental laboratory. In 2019, we found them in the south of the department, at Beaulieu, Altillac, Astaillac, Collonges and Brive. For now, this is where it is most common. But we had citizen alerts, notably on average Corrèze. This is why we are now expanding our research in the north and center of the department. “

3) I live in town, these stories of insects, it does not concern me.

FAUX

If the little beasts are not the prerogative of the countryside, it turns out that the tiger mosquito, him, “is a urban mosquito ” All wrong, therefore …

Mosquito control? These operations are only undertaken when there is a health risk of contamination, explains the ARS. If a person returns to mainland France with a virus transmissible by the tiger mosquito (dengue, chikungunia or zika), their living area will be treated to prevent the virus from being transmitted.

4) I can’t help it if some people keep standing water two or three kilometers from my house…

FAUX

The tiger mosquito, also called Aedes albopictus, does not move very much: it lives within a radius of 150 meters. The mosquito that bites you was born in your neighborhood! For once, it is not (really) the fault of others. You just have to alert your close neighbors …

5) I live far from the river, I am not concerned.

FAUX

Photo Stéphanie Para.

You are wrong. The tiger mosquito is “an aggressive mosquito that breeds in our cities in the smallest container of standing water “, Explain the specialists of the ARS. The female lays eggs in very small quantities of water, mainly in our gardens: the equivalent of a spilled cap is enough!

6) To eradicate it, only chemistry works, and I am opposed to it.

FAUX

In fact, by removing or emptying all the places and objects that can retain rainwater, we prevents the tiger mosquito from laying eggs and proliferating. What’s left to do? Eliminate places where water can stagnate, indoors and outdoors: flowerpot cups, tarpaulins, used tires, bulky items, children’s games, etc.

We must not forget the burials in cemeteries, “places conducive to the development of mosquitoes,” says the ARS. You can put sand in the saucers of flower pots, for example.

How and why the tiger mosquito is under close surveillance in Corrèze

7) I just cut the bushes where he lives and that’s enough.

FAUX

Error: The bushes are only “rest areas” for tiger mosquitoes, which appreciate their freshness. Cutting them would not kill the mosquito which will continue to breed.

To hunt tiger mosquitoes, only one solution: discover the places where it lays its larvae and delete them.Photo Stéphanie Para.

8) My rainwater collector has a cover, so I have nothing to do.

FAUX

In this case, the tiger mosquito is formidable: imagine that it can enter and exit by the gutter! The proof ? According to ARS, “last season, in Gironde, more than 50% of the larval huts discovered were housed in a water collector”.

9) I would have to remove my water collector, but I need it to water my garden!

YES, BUT

It’s true, the rainwater collectors are real tiger mosquito incubators. But solutions exist. You can stretch a mosquito net or a cloth between the exit of the gutter and the surface of the water. But it is also necessary to check and remove the installed larvae every week or, failing this, empty the water.

For water tanks (water cans, tanks, basins, etc.) which are not fitted with a cover, they must be covered with a veil or a simple cloth.

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