Reports from citizens have indicated that the tiger mosquito has managed to survive the harsh Belgian winter, marking a significant phase in its invasive presence, as
announced by health institute Sciensano and the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITG) in a press release on Friday.
In an effort to monitor the situation, ITG and Sciensano urged citizens to share sightings of the tiger mosquito through the MuggenSurveillance.be website three months ago. Subsequent reports have confirmed the presence of the tiger mosquito in three locations across Belgium: Lebbeke, Wilrijk, and Wanlin.
The survival of the tiger mosquito in Lebbeke and Wilrijk from the previous year indicates its successful adaptation to the Belgian winter conditions. Entomologist Isra Deblauwe noted, "The detection of tiger mosquitoes in the two municipalities is in line with last year's findings. Remarkably, both adult mosquitoes and eggs were found in exactly the same places."
This persistence implies that the tiger mosquito is establishing itself in Belgium, according to Deblauwe. Previously, the species entered the country through various means, such as traffic and the import of used car tires and bamboo.
The tiger mosquito is known to carry tropical diseases like yellow fever, dengue fever, and the Zika virus. To curb the spread of this invasive species, the institutes recommend eliminating stagnant water around residential areas as much as possible. Photo by DataBase Center for Life Science (DBCLS), Wikimedia commons.