Mosquitoes: Why Tunisia faces an unprecedented proliferation this summer

Tunisia is facing an unusual and alarming surge in mosquito populations this summer, with environmental expert Mohamed Adel Hentati identifying four new species contributing to the invasion. Hentati sounded an alarm, drawing a direct correlation between this proliferation and the country's persistent pollution problems.

Speaking on Jawhara FM, Hentati emphasized the need for specific, innovative treatments and timely, effective techniques. However, he noted a significant delay by municipalities in deploying adequate chemical solutions. This structural lag, he explained, is largely due to a "flagrant lack of specialists and experts" within local government bodies across the country.

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The mosquito adult can only lay eggs after having ingested human blood. Then it lays in stagnant water, particularly following the rains that occurred even during spring this year.

The massive increase in mosquitoes serves as irrefutable evidence of environmental degradation, Hentati stated. He stressed the urgency of intervention, explaining that the effectiveness of treatments hinges on rapid municipal action before larvae can mature into adult insects. Mosquitoes lay eggs in stagnant water, and with recent rains contributing to such conditions, the breeding cycle is accelerated.

"The adult mosquito can only lay eggs after having ingested blood. Then it lays in stagnant water, particularly following the rains that occurred even during spring this year," Hentati detailed. A female mosquito can lay between 200 to 300 eggs, which take about seven days to hatch into larvae. If municipalities fail to treat these areas within that week, the larvae transform into adult mosquitoes, rendering any subsequent intervention futile. This combination of abundant stagnant water and delayed municipal treatments has created a perfect storm for the current mosquito surge.

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The proliferation of mosquitoes in Tunisia this summer is explained by two reasons: first, there has been a lot of stagnant water due to the rains that were not evacuated in time. This allowed mosquitoes to lay eggs everywhere at their leisure. Second, the treatment that should be provided by the municipalities was not carried out within the pre-indicated 7 days, which caused the eggs to indeed transform into larvae and then metamorphose into mosquitoes.