Tiger mosquito
It is important to implement some simple measures to remove stagnant water where it breeds.
The tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) spreads rapidly in urban environments between spring and early fall. To lay eggs, it seeks small pools of water in gardens, vegetable gardens, balconies, and near swimming pools; however, it does not thrive in natural ponds, biotopes, lakes, moving water such as streams, or pools with chlorinated water. Each female mosquito lays about 300 eggs during its existence, and the amount of water in one glass is enough for them to hatch. It resembles other mosquitoes in shape and size (it is about the size of a 5-cent coin), but is black with white streaks. It covers short distances under 100 meters, so it breeds where it is observed. It usually bites during the day.
It is important to combat the tiger mosquito not only because it is aggressive, but also because it potentially carries viruses of serious tropical diseases, such as dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika, if cases of these diseases occur in our latitudes. As highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO), coronavirus (COVID-19) is not transmitted through mosquito bites.
What to do to eliminate it
The most effective and environmentally friendly way to eliminate the tiger mosquito is to remove the water where it breeds. For years, the City of Lugano has regularly carried out preventive treatments on public land by intervening against larvae within squares, roads, sidewalks, manholes, parks, recreation areas, sports areas and school grounds. In 2021, it has further increased staff dedicated to tiger mosquito control to operate in all neighborhoods of Lugano every day from May until October.
Citizens' cooperation is essential to eradicate it in private properties, for example on balconies, in gardens and vegetable gardens, by intervening weekly and regularly.
Some simple measures to put into practice:
- do not keep outdoors containers that can fill with rainwater or irrigation water, such as saucers, watering cans, bins, buckets, tires, various containers even of small size
- empty standing water in saucers (it would be best to avoid using them), kiddie pools, and drinking troughs at least once a week
- hermetically seal irrigation bins for the vegetable garden
- fill cracks and holes in walls where water stagnates with sand
- check that there is no standing water in the gutters
- spots of standing water that cannot be eliminated (e.g., grated manholes, gutter sumps, pool filtration sumps, raised floors, stagnation on flat roofs) should be treated regularly with specific products based on Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI) following the manufacturer's directions
- after every rain, it is useful to make a round around your home to check that no water has accumulated in various containers
- containers with mosquito larvae should be emptied on the lawn or asphalt away from manholes
Violations of the Ordinanza municipale sulla lotta alla zanzara tigre (Municipal Ordinance on Combating the Tiger Mosquito) are punishable with a fine from CHF 50.- to CHF 10,000.- pursuant to Article 6.
More information on the tiger mosquito can be found on the SUPSI Applied Microbiology Laboratory website:
Let's fight the tiger mosquito together.
The English version of this page was created with the aid of automatic translation tools and may contain errors and omissions.
The original version is the page in Italian.