As spring and summer approach, the fight against tiger mosquitoes - which can carry diseases such as dengue fever - is stepping up across France, with both local authorities and residents taking action.
Municipalities helping residents to take action
For example, on March 31, the municipal council of Valence (Drôme, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) voted to offer financial support for residents who buy a tiger mosquito trap, in a scheme expected to cost €30,000.
The scheme will offer residents 60% of the cost of a trap (up to a maximum of €40), for one trap per household, on a first-come-first-served basis. Residents will need to provide proof of address and trap purchase.
“For several years now, we have been refusing the installation of larger, community traps, the effectiveness of which has not been proven, and several test cities are not satisfied with the result,” said Kérha Amiri, deputy mayor for health in Valence, to France Bleu.
“We are therefore encouraging the purchase of individual traps, which work over an area of approximately 20 square metres,” she said.
The authority can visit residents’ homes to assess their situation and needs. More conditions for the scheme - including the kind of traps eligible for aid - are on the authorities’ website.
One resident said that she had already bought a trap before the announcement of the funding. She said: “Before the trap, we couldn't enjoy the outdoors; even going out to hang out the washing meant getting about 30 mosquito bites. I convinced several friends to buy the trap, but it's a cost, €150, with refills that you have to buy.”
Read more: Act now to limit tiger mosquitoes at French home this summer
Read also: Free traps against tiger mosquitoes distributed in south-west France
Another municipality, Belleville-en-Beaujolais (Rhône, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) has also launched several prevention and awareness campaigns for its residents, and offered help with anti-larval treatments and biological control measures.
Now, it has also started to help residents equip themselves with traps.
The town has allocated a budget of €10,000 for the scheme, which will help residents buy traps that are considered most effective by health authority l’Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS). The aid equals up to 30% of the purchase price including VAT, up to a maximum of €50 per resident.
Again, each claim must be accompanied by an invoice stating the date and place of purchase, amount, and type of trap. The traps must be purchased before the end of 2025 to qualify for the aid, but it can be retrospectively applied to purchases made after January 1 this year too.
Some large cities have also stepped up their support; the city of Strasbourg (Grand Est) has increased its anti-tiger mosquito budget this year from €45,000 to €200,000, announced Françoise Schaetzel, vice-president of the authority in charge of environmental health on March 24.
“We know that it can carry diseases such as dengue fever. We had 10 cases in 2024 and 15 in 2023,” she said. “Its activity by day and night can also impact quality of life. You may be less inclined to go out or enjoy your garden. The bite is painful.”
New strategies include:
Raising awareness in the most-affected areas via flyers and at local events
Helping people to find nests in their gardens
Setting up a ‘mosquito brigade’ of experts who can support residents
Inspecting new builds and planning permission applications to avoid the construction of buildings that could encourage the insects’ nests and spread.
“We have trained around 100 architects and builders on this matter,” said Ms Schaetzel.
The city is also working to treat infected areas with larva-killing products, and helping to raise awareness among residents of the types of traps that are considered most effective.
The plan is long-term, Ms Schaetzel said. “We may start to see progress after two years, but it takes at least five years to achieve a significant result, according to scientific studies.”
Disease spread
The insects can carry diseases such as dengue fever if they bite someone who is infected - even if they became infected abroad, such as in the French overseas territories - and then spread the disease within France, biting other people and infecting them in turn.
This is how the disease spreads, even among those who have not travelled to a ‘hotspot’ country.
”The tiger mosquito is a scourge,” said Frédéric Pronchéry, mayor of Belleville-en-Beaujolais, to MesInfos.fr. “We know that it is going to invade the whole of Europe.”
Tiger mosquitoes were first identified in France in 2004, and have now been recorded in every region.
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Read also: Latest on tiger mosquitoes in France: where, what risk and what to do
Types of trap, and how to maximise effectiveness
There are several different kinds of traps, of varying complexity, effectiveness, and cost.
Some target females that are about to lay eggs, while others target aggressive insects that are looking to bite.
“‘Passive traps’ are cheaper, generally a few dozen euros,” said Rémi Foussadier, director of EID Rhône Alpes (mosquito removal team l’Entente interdépartementale pour la démoustication) to France Bleu. “And they cost nothing to maintain.”
However, he also said that traps work better when there are several of them, as they “work better in a network”, and that they are “absolutely useless” if residents do not take other action to eliminate the insects and their breeding areas alongside, such as removing all stagnant water, and cleaning gutters.
Read more: New non-toxic French traps claim to reduce mosquitoes by up to 94%
How can I help to reduce tiger mosquitoes?
The best way to reduce their number is to remove all places and objects that may contain stagnant water, the ARS states.
In containers that cannot be completely emptied:
Install mosquito nets on rainwater tanks
Put sand in flower bowls and pots
Clean out gutters and drains
Read also: Tiger mosquitoes: How you can help stop their spread in France
It is also recommended that you report any sightings or bites to Signalement-moustique.anses.fr, the specialist government health department (Anses) website. The page also includes more information about the insect and how to prevent its spread.
How can I protect myself from bites?
The ARS advises:
Use repellents, including products that include Deet, IR 3535, KBR 3023, or citriodiol
Wear long clothing
Hang mosquito nets
Consult a doctor if you develop symptoms such as joint/muscle pain, headaches, a skin rash with or without fever, or conjunctivitis within 10 days of your return from an affected country, or after having been bitten in France.
