The mayor of Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert has officially banned tiger mosquitoes from flying over the municipality. An order issued in early September states that, given their repeated low-level or circular flights and the anger and despair caused by their bites, such activity is now prohibited. Any tiger mosquito that fails to comply could face "criminal prosecution".
So far, no mosquitoes have been arrested, Mayor Olivier Joly told AFP on Thursday. "The subject is both funny and deadly serious. These little creatures can make people's lives miserable."
Alongside the flight ban, special rules also apply to the town's roughly 15,000 residents. People must not, for example, leave buckets of water standing outside, while saucers under flowerpots are also prohibited.
The local authority has set aside €45,000 to tackle the mosquitoes. The money will be used to buy mosquito traps, as well as bat boxes and nesting sites for swallows, which feed on the insects.
Everyone in the town needs to play a part in getting rid of the pests, the mayor stressed. He pointed out that mosquitoes generally remain within a radius of no more than 150 metres from where they hatched.
The Asian tiger mosquito is becoming increasingly widespread in France and has also been found in parts of Germany and Luxembourg. The species can transmit viruses including chikungunya, dengue, and Zika to humans.
