Mosquito: Spain battles with rise of 'dangerous' tiger mosquitoes that can transmit diseases as helicopters in Palma spray chemicals to kill eggs

Officials in a popular holiday hotspot have been tackling tiger mosquito larvae or eggs which have been detected. Using especially equipped helicopters, officials from the city council in Palma in Mallorca, Spain, sprayed more than 40 hectares of wetland with special chemicals yesterday (Tuesday 4 June).

Wetland areas within the city are ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. The council said that the use of the helicopter was more than necessary because it could achieve within hours what an army of health officials could do in days.

The city council in a statement said that the operation had been successful although they didn’t rule out the need for another "airborne raid." The tiger mosquito, originally from Southeast Asia, has been deemed an invasive species in Spain. 

Last summer the National Association of Environmental Health Companies (Anecpla) warned that there was an "unleashed" spread of the tiger mosquito. The general director of Anecpla, Jorge Galván, said that it was “essential” to “increase surveillance, prevention and control measures to exercise the necessary containment in the expansion of this dangerous insect".

The tiger mosquito can transmit serious diseases such as the dengue, zika, or chikungunya viral infections among others. It also causes discomfort through bites from females.

In recent years the presence of the tiger mosquito has spread throughout the Mediterranean coast. They sting at any time of the day, including the night, and they are attracted to the dark tones and their sting can pierce the clothes. 

Anecpla issued five recommendations to prevent the tiger mosquito from laying its eggs and stop its spread in private homes and gardens:

• Empty the water from flowerpot dishes
• Renew the water in plastic pools and cover them when not in use
• Keep gutters and drains clean and avoid accumulations of water
• Refill pet watering dishes frequently
• Cover any objects that can accumulate water

Between 5mm and 10mm long, one of the main ways to differentiate this mosquito from the rest of its species is its black colour with a particular white stripe on its thorax, and it also has striped legs.