Integrated Control Of Aedes Albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) In Allotment Gardens, Residentials, And Sewerage Systems

The mosquito species Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1895) has spread rapidly in Europe over the last 40 years and has been established as an invasive species in Germany for the last 15 years. In 2019, individual specimens were found for the first time in the allotments “SÜD I”, “SÜD II” and the adjacent “Kalbssiedlung” in Fürth, Germany, and were identified as an overwintering and established population by the monitoring of the company Biogents AG in 2020. Due to the massive extent, regular comprehensive control measures were carried out by the pest control company APC AG from September 2020 to October 2021. The control concept included 1.) the information of the citizens with the call for active cooperation, 2.) the monitoring measures
to identify the hotspots and 3.) the actual control actions in all gardens and in the public sewerage with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) as well as passive traps. Parallel to the control, external monitoring with active and passive traps was carried out by the Biogents company to control the measures and to determine the further spread of Ae. albopictus. Due to the control procedures, the tiger mosquito population in Fürth was strongly decimated. Monitoring data from the company APC showed a decrease of 86% in the allotment “SÜD I” in 2021 compared to the previous year. The data of the company Biogens recorded a decline of 67% in the entire control area, but also a small expansion of the population into adjacent areas. For sustainable
containment of the tiger mosquito population in Fürth, control measures and external monitoring must be continued in subsequent years by professional staff. Individual measures can be taken over by trained janitors or allotment gardeners with regular control.