The combination of a rainy spring and the onset of heat has caused mosquito and cockroach populations to surge across much of the territory. This is warned by the Catalan Association of Environmental Health Companies (Adepap) on the occasion of World Pest Control Day, which will be celebrated next Saturday. The tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), a confirmed vector of diseases such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya, remains the main threat in urban areas due to its ability to breed in small domestic water accumulations. Adepap also alerts about the invasion of cockroaches in the underground and homes.
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“The first indicators point to a complicated year with the tiger mosquito, more than previous ones,” warned Andreu Garcia, vice president and spokesperson of Adepap, today at a press conference.
The first indicators point to a complicated year with the tiger mosquito”
Andreu Garcia
Vice president and spokesperson of Adepap
Water accumulated in containers and natural areas, combined with temperatures that already exceeded 25ºC in April, make all forecasts point to an increase in mosquito presence. The tiger mosquito, in particular, active during the day and highly aggressive, has the ability to grow in small accumulations of water in any domestic container, which facilitates the multiplication of breeding sites.
High temperatures also help its proliferation. However, extreme records – Garcia recalled – can end it. In this regard, he explained that the tiger mosquito usually bites before and after the most intense sun hours, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
It is also worth remembering that this mosquito acts as a transmission vector of diseases such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. Thus, Garcia recounted that “every year” cases occur in Catalonia, although they are usually imported, that is, from people coming from other countries.
“We cannot let our guard down, as the increase in international mobility and climate change are turning diseases that were once exotic into real and native risks,” warned the vice president of Adepap, who recalled the outbreak of native dengue that affected the province of Tarragona, mainly the municipality of Vila-seca, two years ago.
Not only is a busy summer expected with the tiger mosquito; also with the common mosquito (Culex pipiens), nocturnal in habits and acting as the main transmitter of the West Nile virus. It was also in 2024 when the last major outbreak of this virus occurred in Spain, leaving more than 20 dead, mostly in Andalusia, and nearly 160 native cases.
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Regarding cockroaches, Adepap confirms that control campaigns had to be advanced, once again, to the month of April. The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana), reddish-brown in color and large in size, is the undisputed protagonist of the sewer system and takes advantage of the heat to colonize the interior of buildings through drains and other openings. “Although we do not have official data, we have seen high populations in the sewer system during control campaigns,” confirmed Garcia. He also warned that they are disease transmitters, such as salmonellosis. How? Through food contamination, by contact, which we can later ingest.
This species is displacing the other sewer cockroach, the oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis), black and medium-sized. At the same time, the German cockroach (Blattella germanica), smaller and lighter, is appearing strongly inside homes and restaurants. The best way to combat it, Garcia emphasized, is maintaining good hygiene.
The Adepap spokesperson stressed that “the early appearance of these insects forces much more rigorous preventive maintenance in the sewer networks. Until a few years ago, preventive actions carried out in May protected the entire summer; currently, they must be advanced and, in many cases, reinforced before the pest season ends.”
He also reminded citizens that these insects, like many others, usually nest in places close to where they find food. Hence, he recommends good management of food and waste.
Hantavirus
Garcia also mentioned rats. Although they are a pest present throughout the year, their activity becomes more visible in summer. This year, the focus is mainly on the health sector due to their role as reservoirs of serious zoonotic diseases. The international alert was triggered in early May by a hantavirus outbreak on a passenger cruise in the Atlantic, which left three dead. This virus is transmitted to humans by inhaling particles from the feces or urine of infected rodents.
However, Garcia wanted to call for calm, recalling that the outbreak that originated on the Hondius cruise is already controlled and that the rodent acting as a transmission vector is not found on the peninsula.
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