Citizens beware: the mosquito season is upon us again!

The Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp and Sciensano announce the start of the mosquito season. They are calling on the public to join the search for the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus). Thanks to the help of citizens, tiger mosquitoes were detected in 18 places in Belgium last year.

The MEMO+ project (Monitoring of Exotic Mosquitoes in Belgium) of ITM and Sciensano closely monitors the introduction and presence of exotic mosquitoes, such as the tiger mosquito, in Belgium. In 2023, citizen reports and field surveys revealed the tiger mosquito in 25 locations, including 7 car parks and 18 private gardens. This is double the 12 sites found in 2022.

The important role of citizens

It is crucial to involve citizens in tiger mosquito monitoring. Their reports help researchers identify new locations, which is then important for taking management measures to slow down the establishment of the tiger mosquito in Belgium.

Anyone who spots the tiny black-and-white striped tiger mosquito can take a photo and upload it at www.muggensurveillance.be. Sciensano has developed a user-friendly app of the same name that allows citizens to report tiger mosquitoes directly with their smartphones, including the GPS location. (Available for Android and Apple).

Javiera Rebolledo Romero, a researcher at Sciensano, says, “The reports of tiger mosquitoes by citizens are valuable. They have shown that the tiger mosquito is present in a greater number of places every year. These places are often not really accessible to surveillance because they are private properties in residential areas. Citizens are often the first to discover tiger mosquitoes because they experience nuisance during the day when they spend time in their gardens. Therefore, we would like to ask all citizens to pay attention: if you experience mosquito nuisance during the day and see a small black mosquito with white stripes, take a photo and report the mosquito on MosquitoSurveillance.”

Why hunt the tiger mosquito? 

Isra Deblauwe, an entomologist at ITM, stresses, “Tiger mosquitoes not only cause a lot of nuisance but also pose a health risk because they can transmit viruses such as dengue, chikungunya, or Zika. Therefore, it is vital that we keep a close eye on the tiger mosquito so that we can act quickly and limit its spread. We have already observed this year that the tiger mosquito is wintering in Aat and Kessel-Lo. With the continued help of the population, we are keeping a close eye on the situation.”

The tiger mosquito hitchhikes

The tiger mosquito is established in several places in our neighbouring countries and southern Europe. Travellers going by car or motorhome should be alert not to bring home tiger mosquitoes or their eggs, which can stick in flower pots, for example. If travellers do spot a tiger mosquito after returning, they can report it via www.muggensurveillance.be or the app of the same name.