The mosquitoes sign their comeback under the hexagonal latitudes. Overview of the French regions where tourists must prepare.
Heat, humidity, water stagnation … The favorite summer cocktail of mosquitoes is still there this year again. And according to mosquito repellents, the departments of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) region are among the most concerned. In question: favorable temperatures from May, combined with thunderstorm rains promoting the formation of larval lodges. Alpes-Maritimes, Var, Bouches-du-Rhône or Vaucluse… thus remain departments particularly favorable for the proliferation of indigenous mosquitoes. In addition, the Tiger mosquito is now present in nearly 600 municipalities, exhibiting more than 97 % of the regional population in contact, according to the Regional Health Agency.
Tiger mosquito, an urban invader
If indigenous mosquitoes dominate in wetlands, the tiger mosquito, particularly invasive, extends its territory in France. Coming from Asia, Aedes Albopictus, his scientific name, is no longer a punctual visitor. It settled in France in 2004, first in the Alpes-Maritimes before gradually going north.
Mosquito vigilance
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To date, the Tigre mosquito has been located in 81 of the 96 departments of metropolitan France according to public health data France. In addition, 92 departments are now affected by a level of vigilance according to the vigilance -mosquito card.
“He moved with man”explains Grégory L’Ambert, entomologist and manager of the methods and research cell at the EID Mediterranean laboratory. Unlike local species, the tiger mosquito is perfectly suited to the urban environment. He finds conditions similar to his original habitat: small water containers such as cups, flower pots or rainwater recovery.
Another peculiarity which promotes its local rooting: it flies little. “With his small wings, he moves over short distances and remains close to his prey”specifies the specialist. This rapid progression is accompanied by an increase in vector diseases, although the tiger mosquito is not naturally carrying virus. As Grégory L’Ambert points out, “He becomes a vector if he stings an infected person, generally a traveler returning from areas where viruses like dengue, chikungunya or zika circulate”.
Occitanie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques… Mosquitoes also spend summer there
Biarritz, Avignon, Albi… so many cities where the inhabitants testify to increased nuisances, to the point of having to live windows closed in summer. In Occitania, the situation becomes difficult to bear in certain territories.
Véronique, installed in Albi in the Tarn for 18 years, describes an alarming situation: “It has become unlivable. At certain periods we can no longer open the windows at the end of the afternoon without being beset. Even repellents are no longer enough. We must live locked up all summer ”.
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A reality confirmed by the city’s tourist office: “Each year there is the problem of mosquitoes, this nuisance is very real”testifies a representative. Same observation in Avignon. Alice, a resident of the city center, testifies to an increasingly worrying situation: “There are a lot of mosquitoes right now and there are no more hours. Before, it was mainly in the early evening, but now we are prone to in the morning. They are mainly tiger mosquitoes, so fortunately, their bites do not last too long ”.
Further west, in Biarritz, Denis has been fighting for over 15 years against these invaders. This year, he decided to act differently: mosquito nets on windows, leggings in linen canvas, and above all, an anti-insect net above the garden siphon. “Since I blocked access to the siphon, mosquitoes have almost disappeared during the day. And in the evening, they are much less numerous, the electric racket does the rest ”he explains.
Reflexes to adopt
To protect itself from mosquitoes, individual vigilance is more than ever necessary. Expanding stagnant waters remains the first effective measure to limit their proliferation. Using suitable repellents, wearing long and clear clothes, and installing mosquito nets also allows you to protect yourself during summer evenings. If mosquitoes are not always carriers of disease, their nuisance is often enough to alter the tranquility of the holidays. It is therefore better to anticipate and predict the complete panoply to protect it.
