Tiger mosquitoes settle in Basel: population should help fight them



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The tiger mosquito is not only a problem in the southern cantons, but also increasingly in Basel-Land and Basel-City. There they now depend on the help of the population.

The tiger mosquito is increasingly settling in Basel.

The tiger mosquito is increasingly settling in Basel.

Keystone

(gb.) Tiger mosquitoes have increased in the last year in the Rhine port and near the toll on the French highway. The researchers have also found larvae in settlement areas in the Neubad district in the city of Basel and in Muttenz and Reinach. This was announced Thursday by the Basel-Stadt health department and the Basel-Landschaft building and environmental protection department.

In Ticino, the tiger mosquito has already spread widely. It was first tested there in 2003. Since then it has spread further and further north. For example, tiger mosquitoes have already been seen in the cantons of Zurich, Bern and Freiburg.

Annoying, but so far quite harmless

The tiger mosquito is an annoying insect that is active during the day and breeds mainly in settlement areas, according to the cantons of Basel. With its bites it can transmit diseases. That had never been the case in Switzerland. The risk of transmission is estimated to be minimal.

However, the cantons of Basel-Land and Basel-City have taken steps in public space to stop the tiger mosquito. Individuals can support efforts, for example, by dispensing with pots or emptying them once a week. Because tiger mosquitoes lay their eggs in small glasses of standing water. Rain barrels, watering cans, or buckets can also become breeding ground and must be covered or emptied. The cantons do not recommend the use of insecticides.

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