Stéphane Place 09:56, March 23, 2023

Every day, Europe 1 looks at an idea or a problem in your daily life. While spring is just beginning, he is already here: the tiger mosquito, which spoils the summer of many French, and is also the cause of diseases, such as dengue. But there are reflexes to put in place now to (hope) be quiet this summer.

As spring began on Monday, temperatures are rising across France. But this sweetness also awakened as an investigator: the unbearable tiger mosquito, recognizable with its white stripes on a black body. And it's not just a matter of scratchy pimples. This insect transmits diseases, starting with dengue. 65 cases were identified last year and there is now a significant health risk, according to experts.

So, to avoid an epidemic this summer, there are simple actions to know and put in place now. Europe 1 went to a mosquito control operation in Bordeaux.

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"We can no longer enjoy the gardens"

"It's been a year, soon two, that we can no longer enjoy the gardens because of mosquitoes," regrets a local resident. "I don't want to be invaded. We think about it all year round: we live in a wooded residence so there are reflexes to have such as not leaving stagnant water, that the composter does not overflow ...", adds another resident. The right reflexes must be put into practice in the spring, so as not to be devoured next summer by these increasingly invasive tiger mosquitoes.

Control gardens and water containers

"We will have to control the gardens, eliminate small containers of stagnant water, rainwater collectors and flower pot cups, vases... But also the more structural lodgings: the gutters and gutters themselves that will be maintained, cured and insulated to prevent mosquitoes from entering inside and reproducing," explains Steeve Vernède, from the Bordeaux Métropole mosquito control center.

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"We have to start becoming aware of the problem now to be ready before the mosquito arrives. What I want to say is a little nod to Uncle David's song: 'you did the right thing at home, but pass the message on to your neighbour'", adds the professional with a smile. 80% of the breeding sites where these insects proliferate are in private properties and the mosquito that bites us was born at home or in the near vicinity.