The tiger mosquito transmits sometimes serious infectious diseases. Year after year, its establishment is progressing in France, and it is now present in many departments. Knowing how to recognize the tiger mosquito has become essential. Find out how to avoid it and how to react to tiger mosquito bites.
Native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, the tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) arrived in France in 2004. In 2020, it is established in nearly sixty departments according to ANSES (National Agency for Food, Environment and Labor Health Security).
The tiger mosquito particularly likes places inhabited by humans (it is said to be anthropophilic), which is why it is more present in urban and peri-urban areas. It settles in particular in small reserves of stagnant water in private homes:cups under flower pots, vases, buckets, various containers, garden equipment, cans...
Once settled in a territory, it is very difficult to get rid of it. In order to find out about its presence in your department, you can consult the presence maps of the tiger mosquito in metropolitan France from the Ministry of Health. In 2020, the tiger mosquito has firmly established itself in the south of France, including Corsica, but also in many central departments, as well as further north up to Maine-et-Loire and Côte-d'Or. . Ile-de-France is also affected (Seine-et-Marne, Essonne, Yvelines, Hauts-de-Seine, and the Paris area), as well as Alsace (Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin).
Females lay between 50 and 300 eggs per clutch in an aquatic environment. The egg then becomes a larva and then a nymph, passing to an aerial phase with the adult mosquito, the last stage of development. Only the female bites, absorbing blood after pushing her mouthparts through the skin. She thus provides the food necessary for the proper development of her eggs. The males do not bite:they feed only on plant nectar.
Like many other species, tiger mosquitoes are also present in many foreign countries. Read our article Preparing for mosquitoes when traveling to an exotic country.
If most of the time its bite is benign, the tiger mosquito can be vector of diseases such as these three viral infections:
Cases of imported diseases transmitted by the tiger mosquito
To transmit the virus responsible for these infectious diseases, the tiger mosquito must first have bitten an infected person. Most cases of infectious diseases transmitted by the tiger mosquito are imported cases . People are infected during a trip abroad to a country affected by the disease and where its vector, the tiger mosquito, is established. When they return to France, the symptoms appear.
Indigenous cases of diseases transmitted by the tiger mosquito
We are talking about indigenous cases when a person has contracted the disease on national territory and has not traveled to a contaminated area in the 15 days preceding the onset of symptoms. People were therefore infected in mainland France by a bite from an infected tiger mosquito.
For example, in 2019, 7 autochthonous cases of dengue fever were discovered in the Alpes-Maritimes. Two indigenous cases of dengue have also been reported in the Rhône department.
Mosquito control and surveillance actions are carried out to inform health professionals, promote research and mobilize the population to protect themselves against the presence of tiger mosquitoes. In the south of France, many municipalities have set up mosquito traps, a kind of ecological trap. These lures emit CO2 to simulate breathing, attract female mosquitoes, then suck them in.
Tiger mosquito and covid-19
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the tiger mosquito does not transmit Sars-Cov2, the virus responsible for COVID-19.
This summer, ANSES launched an information campaign with a dedicated website to report the presence of the tiger mosquito and prevent its spread:https://signalement-moustique.anses.fr/signalement_albopictus/
First, the information available on the website allows you to recognize the tiger mosquito :
The ANSES website allows you to learn how to recognize mosquitoes thanks to simple questions:“Is the identified mosquito small? », « Is it black and white? “, “does he have a piercing device? »... photographs also allow you the comparison.
If the tiger mosquito is actually present in your department, measures will be taken to treat the infested place. The objective is to help health authorities monitor its progress, target actions and thus fight against this mosquito.
Well established in France, the tiger mosquito can bite you at home if you live in a department where it is present. It can also occur when you travel to another department, or to another country. First learn how to prevent tiger mosquito bites .
Preventing the tiger mosquito from settling in your home is the first protection.
Fighting the presence of the tiger mosquito
You will need to eliminate any source of stagnant water in your garden, on your balcony or on your terrace. Regularly empty the cups under the flower pots and vases. Also get rid of your green waste and clear your green spaces regularly.
If you have an ornamental pond in your garden, fish are useful allies:they eat mosquito larvae. You can also invest in a mosquito trap.
Preferably wear long, loose and light-colored clothing:they are a barrier against mosquitoes and allow you to spot them.
You can consult the leaflet of the Ministry of Health on the tiger mosquito which indicates the good actions to adopt to limit the development of tiger mosquitoes.
Tiger mosquito repellents to avoid bites
To avoid getting bitten, cutaneous mosquito repellents (applied directly to the skin) are the most effective. Their action lasts for 4 to 8 hours. The WHO and Public Health France (via the epidemiological bulletin of health recommendations for travelers) recommend a formula based on:
Be careful, in case of swimming or heavy sweating, you will need to reapply mosquito repellent. Not all products are compatible with pregnancy or in infants, so it is essential to seek advice from your doctor or pharmacist.
The mosquito net to avoid tiger mosquito bites
It is also possible to arrange your habitat with the installation of mosquito nets on doors and windows, as well as around beds and cradles.
Mosquito nets can be impregnated with pyrethroid repellents (permethrin , deltamethrin , alpha-cypermethrin ), toxic to insects. These are synthetic products derived from natural molecules from a flower, pyrethrum.
Recently, so-called “new type” mosquito nets have been marketed. They are impregnated with an additional repellent molecule which reinforces the protection of the mosquito net, especially on mosquitoes with resistance to pyrethroids. We find the PBO or piperonyl butoxide , chlorfenapyr , or pyriproxyfen . These new type nets are currently being evaluated and qualified. Consult the dedicated page on the WHO website.
In case of tiger mosquito bite , do not panic:it is generally completely benign and similar to that of other mosquitoes. It itches like that of the common mosquito. In people with allergies, the bites can scratch more and cause bigger pimples. Read our article to find out how to relieve mosquito bites naturally.
After-sting care exists to relieve itching. Creams, gels, ointments in tubes, roll-ons, sprays:ask your pharmacist for advice.
The bite of the tiger mosquito is only dangerous if it carries a disease. In this case, other symptoms should alert you. Consult your doctor without delay in case of sudden fever, aches, headaches, joint pain or inflammation of the joints or muscles, skin rashes.
