For some residents of Châteauroux, it has become hell in the summer: the tiger mosquito colonized 12 municipalities in Indre in 2023 and inevitably, it should expand further, eventually colonizing the entire department. In order to limit its nuisance, the CPIE (Permanent Center for Environmental Initiatives) Brenne Berry hosts meetings with residents, in order, for example, to give tips for avoiding the reproduction of these insects as much as possible. Latest meeting date: May 22, in the Touvent district. Around thirty residents made the trip.
How effective are the traps?
Véronique came hoping to leave with new solutions to fight against tiger mosquitoes who have been ruining his summers for two years now: “Mosquitoes morning, noon, and evening. Not just in the evening, all day. We stopped the swimming pool for the grandchildren because it was no longer possible. Too many mosquitoes, they were completely bitten.” Véronique tried hard to fight: “We bought mosquito repellent plants, we’re trying to add cloves, well, everything we can do…“.
Last year, like many residents of the area, she came to collect the traps distributed. “There is a cup with water, there is a net on top and apparently the females go towards the water to lay eggs and they are trapped and cannot come out because there is a little sticky film on the side“, describes Véronique. The device makes it possible to capture at least a few mosquitoes according to this resident, but is it really effective? “An adult can, during a clutch, lay around a hundred eggs. When we know that a trap will have around ten captures, this is ultimately quite low compared to the quantity of eggs that can be laid“, recognizes Quentin Revel, health-environment project manager at CPIE Brenne Berry.
The solution is above all to fight against stagnant water and there are a whole bunch of tricks for this, such as putting sand in the cup of flower pots to absorb it. Tips given in particular during meetings organized in the different districts of Châteauroux. The next one is scheduled on June 18, at the East neighborhood house, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
