The presence of mosquitoes has decreased by 20% this summer compared to the previous one, according to the Barcelona Public Health Agency (ASPB), the same decrease that was registered last year compared to 2020. The reason for the decrease in mosquitoes is the drought of the last few months since these insects, in addition to the heat, seek moisture to deposit their larvae.
“We have noticed even fewer mosquitoes than last year,” said the head of mosquito surveillance at the Public Health Agency of Catalonia, Tomàs Montalvo, in a statement to TVE. According to the ASPB technician, Jesús Jarque, this decrease is related to the lack of water: “There are foci of breeding, such as fountains, that normally have water, but now they are dry”. Although the rains of these last days could boost the breeding: “The presence of water can increase activity if there is a good temperature,” Jarque warned.
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During the summer, professionals from the Public Health Agency of Catalonia have worked on 80 spaces in Barcelona to identify mosquitoes and develop a larvicide to keep the population at bay, but some of the breeding foci are found on private property. Anticimex’s mosquito specialist, Èric Rodríguez, told TVE that it is enough to empty the water points to eliminate the mosquitoes and, “when they are permanent, a granulated to kill the larvae“.
Rodríguez added that most of the interventions that have been made this summer have been between Viladecans (Barcelona) and Sitges (Barcelona). In Catalonia, the presence of mosquitoes is especially important in the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà (Girona) and in the Ebre Delta (Tarragona).