The Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Brittany recalls the good preventive measures to avoid the proliferation of the tiger mosquito whose larvae have recently been detected in new Breton municipalities (in Ille-et-Vilaine and in Morbihan).
Female tiger mosquitoes prefer small amounts of water to lay their eggs (the equivalent of a plug of water may be enough for them!). The tiger mosquito is a vector of viruses such as dengue, zika and chikungunya (which it can transmit when it has just bitten a person carrying the disease). To best protect against bites, the best protection is, on sunny days, remove or empty all places and objects that can retain stagnant water (especially rainwater) to prevent them from laying eggs and proliferating. in your garden.
Did you know ?
The Aedes albopictus mosquito is a mosquito of tropical origin, also called the tiger mosquito because of the black and white welts that run through its body and legs. It is an “urban” mosquito that lives near dwellings in the city as well as in the countryside, in towns, districts, housing estates, etc.
The good gestures
In order to slow down the implantation of the tiger mosquito, simple actions can be put in place:
– put away
Store wheelbarrows, buckets and watering cans, children’s toys, ashtrays or any small object that can collect water, garbage cans, crates, pots, trailers and construction equipment under cover.
– Empty
Empty at least after each rain cups of flowerpots, bowls for animals, parasol stands, folds of tarpaulin, games for children, rain gauges, decorative elements.
– Clean
Gutters, gutters, rainwater manholes, open gutters, bungs and drain traps should be cleaned to facilitate the flow of water.
– Cover
It is advisable to cover with a sail or a mosquito net the rainwater collectors, the cans and barrels which must remain outside.
– Maintain
It is also recommended to maintain swimming pools, basins and ponds, terraces on plots, gratings, lifting pumps and watering terminals.
How to distinguish the tiger mosquito from other mosquitoes?
– It bites during the day (mainly in the morning and in the evening).
– It is black and white striped. Also note that it is characterized by the presence of a white line along its thorax.
– It is small and lively: it is smaller than a 1 euro cent coin (i.e. less than 0.5 centimeters).
A mosquito implanted in 71 departments
According to the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Anses), in metropolitan France in 2023, the tiger mosquito is present in 71 departments.
To find out if you have been bitten by a tiger mosquito, ANSES indicates that “the itching sensation is felt quickly and intensifies for several minutes after the bite. It usually causes a pimple resembling a somewhat flat blister, like a blister, 5 millimeters to 2 centimeters in diameter, a little lighter than the color of the skin, circular, with a red halo that can widen depending on the reaction some people’s skin. The pimple is usually hard, hot and painful. The bite of the tiger mosquito scratches almost instantly, then the itching disappears. They can nevertheless reappear for several days in the event of a change in temperature (after a shower for example). »
Convenient
You can help monitor the tiger mosquito by reporting its presence on the signalement-moustique.anses.fr website.
