Photo of flattened mosquito should help researchers: ‘don’t hit too hard’

In nature, the researchers know reasonably well where the mosquitoes are. “But in urban areas it’s a different story,” says Maarten Schrama, ecologist at Leiden University.

For example, a flat roof that is under water can be a breeding ground. “But we can’t just walk into people’s garden to take a look. If there are many reports from such a street, we can start searching.”

Spaniards send thousands of photos

In Spain, the app has already proven its worth; Spaniards submitted more than 18,000 photos in a short time, which accurately mapped the distribution of the Asian tiger mosquito. This Southeast Asian mosquito can transmit diseases such as dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika.

In order to better prepare the Netherlands for the arrival of disease-causing insects, 10 million euros became available in 2019. The research falls within the One Health Pact project, in which various universities and research institutes work together.

Pap of mosquitoes

Mosquito researcher Schrama is now doing his fieldwork around Utrecht, where there are mosquito traps in thirty places. A paste is made of the captured mosquitoes, which is put under a microscope to see if there are viruses in it.

Research is also being carried out at sixteen bird ring locations. Birds are also bitten by mosquitoes and can carry viruses. Blood is taken from the captured birds and a swab of the throat is made. This is also examined in the laboratory.

“The first batch of research material has only just arrived in the lab, so we don’t know if there is anything in it yet. The chance seems quite high, because it is a very good mosquito year.”

–