Management strategies of noxious mosquito species on the French Mediterranean coast
Résumé
Founded in the late fifties EID Méditerranée is a public operator whose primary mission is to control the nuisance associated with the presence of mosquitoes. This mission takes place in an area spreading from the Etang de Berre near Marseille, to the Franco- Spanish border. Perfect knowledge of the ecology of target species is the key to successful control strategy. This strategy is based on larval control, which allows the most effective control with the least environmental impact: an integrated approach, targeted in space and in time, using the most selective pesticides. The procedures implemented uniformly on an interregional scale, guarantee the efficacy of the plan of action. The crucial first step consists in mapping mosquito breeding sites and creates a truly operational tool. The strategy also includes a process for environmental monitoring and assessment (traceability of activities (GIS, GPS), study of effects on non-target fauna). The introduction in South-eastern France, in 2006, of Aedes albopictus a strongly noxious tropical invasive and potential arbovirus vector, has necessitated the establishment of an entomological monitoring taking into account this mosquito's ethology and expansion, in order to organize when necessary vector control operations. Thus, the strategy is being constantly improved thanks to the permanent and indispensable relations between the operational observations and the structure's integrated research and development approach, ensuring its sustainability while taking into account the wider socio-economic and regulatory contexts.