The Berlin-Mitte health department has examined more than 2,000 mosquitoes this season – not a single tiger mosquito was among them. They were other, also striped mosquitoes, which the layperson cannot necessarily distinguish, said Lukas Murajda. He is the medical officer of the Berlin-Mitte health department, which has been examining the central role in monitoring possible tiger mosquito populations in Berlin.
The Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) originates from the tropics and can transmit various pathogens such as Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses transmitted, so far there have been no such cases in Germany. However, there are some firmly established populations, including in Berlin.
In Treptow-Köpenick it was detected several years in a row, for the first time in 2021As a result, the district launched the pilot project to combat the invasive species in 2023.
Murajda does not want to speak about the pilot project in Treptow-Köpenick at the press conference. Tiger mosquitoes were also detected in other districts in 2023, but in very small numbers: a female tiger mosquito in a cemetery in Charlottenburg, a male tiger mosquito in an allotment garden in Neukölln.
They like it when it stinks.
Lukas Murajda, medical officer of the health department in Mitte
Where they come from is unclear. Only the females bite because they need proteins during the egg-laying period. Last year, tiger mosquitoes were only detected in late summer. “It’s too early to draw a conclusion now,” says Murajda. The season lasts until October.
The district office has two different types of traps, and there are dozens in total: The so-called GAT (Gravid aedes trap) consists of a pot with water and plant parts. “They like it when it stinks.” The mosquitoes are attracted by the smell of the plant broth, but cannot reach it because of a net and get stuck on an adhesive strip while looking for the exit.
© picture alliance/dpa/KEYSTONE/Ennio Leanza
In the second trap, BG Pro, the mosquitoes, attracted by CO₂, are drawn into the device and thus into a net by a light air stream with the help of a fan and a battery.
Medical officer recommends: Avoid water retention
Public health officer Murajda wants to make preparations, just in case. “I don’t think we can prevent the tiger mosquito from spreading.” The bite of the tiger mosquito is unpleasant, but it only becomes dangerous when it bites people infected with a virus. “We are doing prevention,” says Murajda. This also includes informing the population.
Murajda’s recommendation: Avoid water accumulation, pour out standing water once a week. “The cap of a bottle is enough.” In addition, wearing light, loose and long clothing and using mosquito repellent are the most effective measures, even before using chemical pesticides. (dpa)
