The alert was given in Vienna in 2017 in the Guillemotes district, the first touchdown. Coming from the South, the mosquitoes had arrived in the City. A case of dengue fever in a family from Guyana had even been diagnosed.
“The danger of the tiger mosquito
, is that it can be a vector of diseases such as chikungunya, dengue or even zika. When it bites someone, it retains the viruses it transmits in this way”, explains Anny Gelas, municipal councilor responsible for hygiene.
Since 2017, the area of the tiger mosquito in Vienna has gradually spread to Guillemotes, so first to Charlemagne, then to Malissol, and finally to the whole city which is now infected by these little critters.
Hence the declaration of war by Thierry Kovacs, Mayor of Vienne: “The tiger mosquito poisons the lives of our fellow citizens, it involves a health risk: this is the reason why we have decided to fight vigorously once morest it”.
As in any war, only an effective strategy can lead to victory.
Anny Gelas, Marie Chassagne and Thierry Kovacs
Marie Chassagne, a specialist in the fight once morest the tiger mosquito, came from the very new “Nature-environment-urban planning” course at the University of Lyon, and was first hired by the City.
Les Guillemotes, the most affected district which has already been the setting for eight days via the Regional Health Agency of a mosquito control campaign, will serve as a control district.
Marie Chassagne, head of the fight once morest tiger mosquitoes, will visit each house in the neighborhood to give advice on how to first identify possible breeding sites. It is indeed necessary to remove any place in the garden or on the balcony likely to accommodate still water, preferred lodging for the laying of the tiger mosquito.
Tiger mosquito nesting traps will then be distributed at the price of 10 euros (26 euros in the trade) to carry out this fight effectively.
An experiment will also be carried out in the City Garden: with its pond, the strong presence of vegetation, this space is emblematic for the Viennese population to serve as an example of this anti-mosquito fight.
At the beginning of July, the municipal agents will search for egg-laying sites in the Garden to eliminate them and prevent the reappearance of mosquitoes on the site.
Five nesting traps, the effectiveness of which extends to a radius of 150 meters, will then be installed within this green space.
A census form for tiger mosquitoes in Vienna is already available on the website of the city of Vienna, on the “tiger mosquito” page: click HERE.
Awareness brochures once morest the tiger mosquito will also be distributed in all the mailboxes of the City.
For Anny Gelas, “we will not be able to totally eradicate the tiger mosquito from Viennese territory: what we want is to stop its growth and reduce its presence in the territory as much as possible. The best way to fight him is to develop the right moves!”
Viennese, to your mosquito traps!
The tiger mosquito: it is silent and diurnal. Unlike the common mosquito (Culex) which tends to bite at night and whose flight is noisy, the tiger mosquito is diurnal, that is to say it bites more during the day (mainly in the morning and evening) and is silent.
Small in size: the name “tiger mosquito” can easily be misleading. Small in size, the tiger mosquito is smaller than a 1 euro cent coin (less than 0.5 centimeters)!
White and black striped: once more, its name is misleading since the tiger mosquito is not yellow and black but white and black. It is also characterized by the presence of a white dorsal line along its thorax. Its legs are also striped (photo).
Laying trap attracting females wishing to lay eggs. They find themselves trapped and unable to lay eggs. The location of the trap is a primary factor for effective capture. The stagnant water at the bottom of this passive trap attracts adult female tiger mosquitoes that want to lay eggs. Once in to lay eggs, they are trapped and can no longer come out. It can be found for sale in DIY stores.