Where only 64 were found in 2018, there were already 548 in 2019 and 603 in 2020. The tiger mosquitoes are particularly common in South Limburg.
Dengue fever and chikungunya
You might think: oh, a mosquito. What’s the problem? But the tiger mosquito can really be very dangerous. Marion Koopmans, coordinator of the tiger mosquito research, explains: “The tiger mosquito is, for example, suitable for transmitting dengue fever. Or chikungunya, an infection in which people develop joint complaints.” At the moment this is not the case yet and a bite from the mosquito only causes an itchy bump, just like you would get from any other mosquito.
Global warming
But the risk of nasty diseases from tiger mosquitoes is increasing. According to Marion, this is due to climate change: “It is due to global warming. We see this especially in the part of Europe where the night temperature rises considerably. And that is beneficial for those mosquitoes.”
Places where the insects are
Arjan Stroo, insect scientist at the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, explains where you can find the insects: “They are not in ditches or lakes. Surface water is excluded. They are exactly in places where you would not expect them, for example in your parasol base or in a well under the drain. Where they have no predators, so where there are no natural enemies.”
Cleaning up breeding grounds
He explains why we have to take action: “By cleaning up the breeding grounds now, you don’t give them a chance. If that doesn’t happen and we get a very large area with that mosquito, then it’s a lost cause.”
You can do this yourself
What can you do in your garden yourself? “Clean up your garden very well and remove all places where rainwater can remain,” says Arjan Stroo. Doesn’t work? Then you can call in an expert.
Thanks to this remedy you no longer suffer from mosquitoes
Source: RTL News† Image: Getty Images.