Asian tiger mosquito in Berlin: health pest spotted

Due to climate change, there are more dangerous insect species in this country. Citizen participation is required: Anyone who finds a copy should send it in.

And this is what the animal – the Asian tiger mosquito – looks like and you should definitely not let yourself be bitten by it Photo: dpa

BERLIN dpa | The Asian tiger mosquito has arrived in the party district of the German capital. The introduced species has black and white markings and is not only annoying to humans. It can also transmit pathogens such as dengue, Zika or chikungunya viruses. Due to climate shifts due to global warming, she is increasingly feeling at home in Europe.

So far, specimens have been spotted in two Berlin districts: “Tiger mosquitoes have been detected in both the Treptow-Köpenick district and the Neukölln district,” the Senate Health Administration responded to an SPD query. “The Senate is currently not aware of any other tiger mosquito populations in other districts.”

The dangers of transmitting dangerous viruses to humans currently and in the future depend on various factors, it said. These include, among other things, the annual mean temperature, the amount of precipitation and the availability of breeding sites. A working group is currently developing plans for nationwide action against tiger mosquitoes. “This procedure should be in place by the summer of 2024 if possible.” So far, no transmission of dengue, Zika or chikungunya viruses to humans has been reported in Germany.

The districts are responsible for combating mosquitoes as a health pest. “With regard to the measures taken, the Treptow-Köpenick district office reports that it has carried out extensive monitoring in affected or potentially affected areas. In addition, information about prevention and control in the various allotment gardens was held at many on-site events.”

Early start to mosquito season

Mosquito season started particularly early this year. Forest and meadow mosquitoes are already hatching, says Doreen Werner from the Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) in Müncheberg. And house mosquitoes, which overwinter as flying mosquitoes, have already laid their eggs. The early start of the mosquito season is due to the weather, and this often only happens at the beginning of May, explained Werner. “It’s all three or four weeks earlier this year.”

The normal development of mosquitoes comes to a standstill in winter. In the case of house mosquitoes, the development from the egg to the mosquito capable of flying takes three to four weeks under the current weather conditions. In summer this time is much shorter and only lasts seven to ten days.

It is a misconception that there are fewer mosquitoes after a frosty winter, said Werner. Mosquitoes have a “built-in antifreeze” that helps the hibernating species survive the cold season. In summer, however, mosquitoes need it to be humid and warm in order to build up high population densities, said Werner. “Things are going well for mosquitoes at the moment.” A female mosquito can lay 1,500 to 2,000 eggs in her life, depending on the temperature, breeding opportunities and food supply.

Monitoring with citizen participation

Werner is involved in the Mosquito Atlas: In the citizen science project, citizens can help collect scientifically usable data by sending in mosquitoes. Data on the Asian tiger mosquito is also being collected.

Tiger mosquitoes are considered slow to fly and their radius of action is only a maximum of 300 meters, said Werner. Other mosquitoes, such as flood mosquitoes, can fly several kilometers. If the Asian tiger mosquito cannot find an opportunity to lay eggs within its radius, it is still possible to combat it once a population is detected. That’s why sending in the mosquitoes is so important.

Even though mosquitoes annoy many people, the insects and their larvae are an important part of the food web, for example for songbirds, as the German Nature Conservation Association (Nabu) emphasizes. Spiders, fish, amphibians and dragonflies also rely on the presence of mosquitoes. A disappearance of mosquitoes from the ecosystem would have serious consequences for a large number of animals.