TIGER MOSQUITO – With the high temperatures of recent days, the tiger mosquito is back in France! The Ministry of Solidarity and Health has placed 67 departments on red alert until the end of the year. How to differentiate it from a mosquito? Is the sting dangerous? How to treat it? We answer all your questions.
[Mis à jour le 21 mai 2022 à 7h00] The Ministry of Solidarity and Health alert, the tiger mosquito is present on a large part of the French territory. If the north of France is rather spared, 67 departments including Paris are placed in red vigilance, that is to say that the tiger mosquito is established and active there. So don’t be surprised if you come across this little striped insect in your home. Learn to recognize it and beware of its bite.
What to do if you see a tiger mosquito? You can initially report its presence on the dedicated portal to the tiger mosquito which makes it possible to follow its spread in France. If you are bitten, do not panic, in most cases, its bite is benign, at worst you risk a pimple and some itching. Only in very rare cases can their bites transmit certain serious diseases.
Find in our article all the information you need to know: its characteristics, where it is present, the symptoms of a bite, the possible diseases, but also the tips and traps to keep them away from the house.
Where are tiger mosquitoes found in France? The map of France
The tiger mosquito appeared in France in 2004 and continues to colonize France more and more. Today, it is present in much of the south of France, but also in Paris and Île-de-France. In total, 67 French departments are affected by the tiger mosquito and are on red alert (ie the tiger mosquito is implanted and active). Do not hesitate to consult the map published on the website of the Ministry of Solidarity and Health to see if the tiger mosquito is established and active in your department, or if its presence is just occasional or under observation.
But this insect is also present in other departments, placed in orange vigilance (punctual interception). The rest of the territory is in yellow vigilance (entomological surveillance), no longer any department is in green vigilance. It is now a large majority of the territory where the tiger mosquito is declared officially established and active. These are essentially departments in the south of France, but the departments of Ile-de-France, Indre, Maine-et-Loire, Vendée, Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin or Aisne are also affected. The invasion is rapid, the number of departments where the mosquitoes tigers are present and active has doubled in two years. This is partly explained by the global warming of recent years. To see if your department is impacted, you can look the map established by the Ministry of Solidarity and Health, it lists the presence of tiger mosquitoes in France.
The tiger mosquito arrived in Paris and throughout Ile-de-France in 2019. The high heat did not help. Although the tiger mosquito moves very little on its own, it is easily transported over long distances by car, on trains… This is why it was able to arrive in Paris. The tiger mosquito adapts very easily and very quickly to a new environment, so it has no problem setting up its nest in the city.
The tiger mosquito can transmit certain tropical diseases to humans such as dengue fever, chikungunya or Zika. But fortunately not all tiger mosquitoes are carriers of this disease. To be a carrier of the virus and therefore to be able to transmit it to humans, the tiger mosquito must first bite a carrier of the virus, such as a person returning from an epidemic zone. Many cases of dengue fever or chikungunya are reported each year in metropolitan France, but these are generally cases of people who caught the disease outside metropolitan France. To protect yourself as much as possible while traveling, be sure to wear loose and covering clothing, use repellents and prefer air-conditioned places that the mosquito does not like. If you have been bitten and symptoms appear when you return from your trip, seek medical attention immediately.
What are the symptoms and dangers following a tiger mosquito bite?
The bites of the tiger mosquito are similar to those of classic mosquitoes. If you haven’t seen it bite you, it will be impossible for you to guess that you have been the victim of a tiger mosquito. Its bites are most often harmless, they will cause pimples and itching. However, if the tiger mosquito is a carrier of a tropical disease, other symptoms will appear, such as:
- Sudden fever, musculo-articular pain, body aches, pain behind the eyes, headache for dengue fever
- High fever, disabling joint pain, joint swelling, skin manifestations for chikungunya
- Skin rash, fever, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise and headache for zika.
If you experience one or more of these symptoms after being bitten, it is imperative to consult a doctor as soon as possible in order to carry out analyzes and check that you have not been infected with the dengue virus, Zika or chikungunya.
It is possible to prevent the appearance of the tiger mosquito in your environment. For this, the most effective solution is not to offer it places to nest. Avoid having outdoor tarps, flower pot saucers, used tires, plant waste, gutters with stagnant water. It is this water, even in small quantities, which makes it possible to provide an ideal incubator for hundreds of larvae which then transform into nymphs and then into mosquitoes. Eliminate stagnant water points in your garden, on your balcony or on your terrace. It is also necessary to do regular clearing of hedges and pruning of trees to limit its presence by reducing its lifespan.
What are effective tiger mosquito traps and repellents?
To avoid being bitten by a tiger mosquito, protect yourself by wearing long, loose clothing and spray your skin and clothes with a special tropical zone repellent that will keep tiger mosquitoes away. To repel the presence of the tiger mosquito in your garden, you can plant citronella, a natural insecticide, in your outdoor spaces. Some town halls have also decided to appeal to bats which feed on mosquitoes. Do not hesitate to install nesting boxes in your garden to invite them to settle.
How to recognize a tiger mosquito? size, description and photo
He is easily recognizable. Contrary to what one might think, the tiger mosquito is small. It measures only 5 mm against 10 mm for a classic mosquito. The size of the tiger mosquito is smaller than a penny coin. It takes its name from the stripes on its body. Indeed, the mosquito is striped black and white on its body, but also on its legs. Its wings are black and it has a white line on its thorax. You will see it more during the day, it does not sting at night, contrary to popular belief. Good to know: only females will be able to bite you because they feed on blood proteins in order to develop the eggs. If you recognize a tiger mosquito, have the reflex to take a picture of it and send your report to www.signalement-moustique.fr. The mosquito will then be identified as present in your city and action will be taken to treat your neighborhood and ensure that no disease spreads.
The tiger mosquito or Aedes albopictus is native to Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, but has been found for around thirty years in a large part of the globe. It has been established since the 2000s in France. They certainly arrived in France by plane or by boat. Its presence at the global level is due to several reasons:
- The biology of the species: the tiger mosquito easily adapts to a new environment.
- International trade with the transport of eggs in used tires.
- Dispersal of the species, by individual and collective transport, via land vehicles.