Monitoring And Control Actions Against Aedes Albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) In Urban Areas In The Netherlands

In the Netherlands, besides the detection at Lucky bamboo and used tire sites, introductions of Aedes albopictus have been notified by citizens since 2016 in urban areas. Intensive surveillance and mosquito control followed the confirmation of the species identity in the laboratory. In many cases, inspections discovered early stages of local foci of Ae. albopictus, being mainly immature stages breeding in artificial containers in the backyards of private houses. To eliminate the foci, door-to-door mosquito control was implemented based on intensive source reduction and the use of larvicides. To date, all detected Ae. albopictus foci have been successfully confined, containing the spread of the species to surrounding urban areas. Also, the majority of the detected breeding populations have been eradicated in one or two seasons. This work stress the importance of rapid mosquito control interventions to eliminate emerging small populations in new areas with the aim of prevent the establishment of Ae. albopictus as long as possible.