By Ralf Klostermann
First it was warm and even hot, now it rains again and again in many places. Ideal conditions for nasty bloodsuckers. Is the great mosquito plague coming over Germany now?
They are already buzzing everywhere again. The damp spring already offered the mosquitoes the best starting conditions.
But what’s next?
Jenifer Calvi from the German Wildlife Foundation to PICTURE: “After the rain, combined with warmth, the mosquitoes come back more often. Mosquitoes lay their eggs – there are always hundreds of them – in standing water.” Small puddles are often enough.
“It can be the water in the rain barrel, the garden pond or the bird water basin. In flood areas, there are significantly more mosquitoes, which multiply under the right conditions – moisture and subsequent warmth,” says the expert.
So in view of the weather conditions, the prospects are not good for us. However, whether there will be a really big plague depends on further developments on the weather front.
What helps against mosquitoes?
Mosquitoes bite mainly in the evening hours. You should keep them at bay with repellent – an anti-mosquito spray. The active ingredients in the spray – e.g. B. diethyltoluamide (DEED), icardin or lemon eucalyptus – form a protective fragrance screen. Mosquito repellent, like sunscreen, should be “topped up” after a few hours.
The insects also do not like the essential oils in plants such as lavender, mint or lemon balm. If you want to sit outside in the evening, you should take a shower beforehand, because sweat is a mosquito magnet.
Also helpful: clothing made of light-colored, solid fabric (e.g. linen). Close-meshed fly screens help against nocturnal visits at home.