Pantaleoni (Cnr), ‘5 moves to beat mosquitoes, you need to know the enemy’

2023-08-02 15:42:13

More and more mosquitoes and, above all, more and more species, with different habits and carriers of ‘new’ diseases, from which to defend themselves. “Obviously it is absolutely impossible to avoid any sting from these insects. But we must avoid stings which can be dangerous or in any case cause some problems. And for citizens there are 5 possible moves: physical protections; chemical protections; avoid them by knowing the standard behaviors of the type of mosquitoes; do not produce them effectively cleaning the environment; demand effective disinfestation services”. He explains it to time.news Salute Roberto Pantaleoni, Institute for research on terrestrial ecosystems, Cnr-Iret of Sassari, who underlines how, above all, “you need to know your enemy well”.

In fact, not all mosquitoes are the same. And they have different behaviors. “In Italy we have about forty species – recalls Pantaleoni – even ‘new’ for our territory. If there is not a minimum of knowledge, it is not possible to defend oneself effectively, because there are various problems to be faced. The Ochlerotatus mosquito , in the countryside, for example, stings only outdoors. With the Culex, another example, you cannot sleep with the windows open, with the tiger yes if there is some repellent machine on”. Information, therefore, is a fundamental weapon. “On the other hand, tools touted by advertising such as ultrasound or grandmother’s remedies, such as rosemary on the windowsill, are useless”, the expert points out.

As for the 5 effective defense moves, we start from physical protection which means, above all, “mosquito nets on the windows or above the bed. In countries where there is the problem of malaria, with the Anopheles mosquito, going to bed at getting dark under the mosquito net is an excellent protection, because this species of mosquito bites only at night”. Move number two is represented by chemical protections, “repellents, in practice, which have their effectiveness, but with time limits. Also in this case, therefore, knowing the habits of the mosquitoes present is essential. The native Aedes, not the tiger, have very precise ranges of activity, even more precise if it’s very hot: they sting for an hour or an hour and a half in the evening. That’s it. If you have this information, you put on the repellent when needed. then there are the chemical protections for the interior: machines, various dispensers, coils, just as effective”.

The third move is “to avoid them. Mosquitoes, in fact – remarked Pantaleoni – have a fairly standardized behavior that you need to know. You need to find out about the type of mosquito trying to concentrate your defense in the worst moments of the day”. The fourth move is “not to produce them. Mosquitoes, tigers in particular, can in fact be ‘raised’ by the citizen, in private drains, containers, saucers in which water stagnates and which are not kept clean. It is not impossible to prevent because the mosquitoes, to complete the production cycle, even in very hot periods like the ones we experienced, need at least 5 days. Therefore, if you remove the water every 2 or 3 days, the game is done”.

The fifth move is “to demand that the disinfestation services work and are competent. Very often, in fact – observes the expert – this task is considered as a mere spraying of disinfestants on the streets. Defense from mosquitoes, in general, is a little more complex and also requires resources that very often public bodies do not make available.A great investment, as is clear from what I have said so far, is information because the citizen who knows the mosquito is an active part of the fight”.

Finally, concludes Pantaleoni, it is necessary “to have permanent services for these objectives and this, unfortunately, does not happen often. A permanent presence in the area, today often canceled due to budgetary problems, is essential, also in consideration of climate change and the consequent possibility of dangerous and increasingly frequent diseases.Having permanent controls also means protecting the environment more, without reducing disinfestation to the use of chemical products.In areas where there are controls, for example linked to study, the difference can be seen”.