The tiger mosquito, which loves to settle near stagnant water, also welcomes the return of good weather. Here are the actions you can take at home to slow down the proliferation of the insect.
After successive episodes of rain, good weather should finally return everywhere in France from Monday June 24, 2024. A brief heat wave is expected at least until Wednesday. Summer is finally starting, but it’s also what the tiger mosquito was waiting for.
If rain is hardly suitable for the insect, water is on the other hand its best ally. The tiger mosquito proliferates near stagnant water, the eggs develop there at high speed and the insect can reach its adult form within a week. “Without water, there is no egg hatching, therefore no new generation of mosquitoes!”, reminds the Regional Health Agency.
Following bad weather and with the approach of drier weather, here are the right actions to adopt to avoid being invaded by mosquitoes in the coming days:
- empty outdoor containers that could contain stagnant water at least once a week (bowls, watering cans, buckets, vases, parasol bases, etc.)
- store gardening tools (buckets, watering cans, etc.), trash cans, tires or children’s toys away from rain and/or watering
- cover rainwater collectors, tanks or other various barrels airtight or with a mosquito net
- clean drains from gutters, gutters, water from siphons, fountains, external drains or open gutters with grids
“The tiger mosquito only lives within a radius of 150 meters around it. If you have one at home, it is because it was born nearby: on a balcony of your building, in your garden or at your neighbor’s house It prefers small quantities of water to lay its eggs and develop. It develops in all kinds of containers and artificial reservoirs where water can stagnate,” specifies the Regional Health Agency.
Already almost 3,000 imported cases of dengue in France in 2024
Caution is advised with the tiger mosquito because the insect can transmit tropical diseases such as Zika, chikungunya or dengue. Cases imported from overseas territories exploded in 2024: 2,166 imported cases of dengue between January 1 and April 30, while there were “only” 128 in 2023 over the same period.
Public Health France also reports that between May 1 and June 18, 601 additional imported cases of dengue fever were reported in the country. 60% of cases returned from Guadeloupe and Martinique. The most affected region is Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes with 94 cases, ahead of Île-de-France with 85 cases and Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur with 76 cases. In Occitania, 39 imported cases of dengue fever have been recorded since May 1.
78 out of 96 departments are considered to be colonized by the tiger mosquito in France, in 2024. In the south of the country, particularly on the Mediterranean rim, more than 40% of municipalities are colonized by the insect.
