An information brochure will reach every home in the city along with the drinking water bill
Before the arrival of summer, Benidorm City Council and Hidraqua launch a campaign to combat the tiger mosquito
For yet another year, the Department of Health and the drinking water concession company, Hidraqua come together to inform the public and combat the proliferation of mosquitoes in summer, especially the tiger (Aedes albopictus), an invasive species that in recent years has acclimated to our urban environment and producing an annoying and painful sting.
The City Council will issue an informative statement, addressed to all residents and, together with the drinking water service concessionaire, Hidraqua, will send an explanatory triptych to all homes in the city, accompanying the receipt, with the measures that must be taken and adopted in homes to combat the proliferation of the tiger mosquito. 25,000 copies of the brochure will be printed.
The Councilor for Health, Mónica Gómez, recalled that it is “an insect smaller than the autochthonous mosquito, which measures between 2 and 10 cm and is characterized by having white stripes on the head, body and legs and, in addition, it has habits daytime ”. Gómez has emphasized that the studies carried out by experts show that "around 90% of the breeding and development foci are produced in the private and private sphere". For this reason "it is essential" that "regardless of the actions carried out by the City Council, we all make an effort to eradicate it."
Gómez has clarified that the life cycle of the tiger mosquito is very short. “After it bites,” she said, “the female lays the eggs wherever she finds small amounts of water, the larvae will emerge from them, turning into pupae and later into adult insects. They can do this whole cycle in just one week ”.
To avoid their reproduction, it is advisable to remove objects that can accumulate water from the elements, such as the dishes in the pots; or check the drains and gutters "so that the tiger mosquito does not find where to deposit its eggs and continue its life cycle", has settled the head of Health.
The tiger mosquito is native to Southeast Asia. Climate change, human flows and globalization have allowed it to spread throughout the Mediterranean ecosystem. In addition to the pain caused by its bite, it is responsible for the spread of diseases such as chijungunya, dengue or Zika.