ARCHIVED - Intensive anti-mosquito spraying still going on throughout Murcia

The hot weather after the gota fría storm causes discomfort for residents and headaches for Town Halls

With daily maximum temperatures in the Region of Murcia still remaining in the high twenties many of the 45 Town Halls in the region continue to intensify their anti-mosquito spraying and fumigation campaigns, combating the unusually large numbers of the insects which have hatched after eggs were laid in stagnant water following the destructive “gota fría” storm in mid-September.

Much of the attention regarding the spread of mosquitos after the flooding has been focussed on the area close to the Mar Menor and the flood plain of the River Segura, but the problem is so widespread that the Town Halls stepping up their pest control actions include not only Torre Pacheco, Murcia and Beniel but also areas where flooding was far less serious, including Las Torres de Cotillas, Totana and Cehegín.

Bearing in mind that as well as “normal” mosquitos there are also more and more Asian tiger mosquitos in the Region of Murcia, a species capable of transmitting diseases such as dengue and chikungunya, local councils are especially wary of the warning of “plagues” of insects. The tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is already known to be present in at least 30 of the 45 municipalities in Murcia, and in Cehegín, for example, a massive spraying campaign has been launched in parks and gardens and at the municipal football ground.

Similarly in Beniel, on the boundary between the Region of Murcia and the province of Alicante and in the flood plain of the River Segura, where mud and floodwater is still being removed from certain areas.

In Torre Pacheco, meanwhile, the focus is on the use of larvicides as attempts are made to eliminate the mosquitos before the develop fully into bloodthirsty insects (although “adulticide” substances are also in use), and in Las Torres de Cotillas, where various tiger mosquito detection traps are located, the spraying is being complemented by the distribution of leaflets urging residents to take steps to prevent mosquitos from breeding on their privately owned properties.

Further south-west, in Totana anti-mosquito treatment has been applied in the Marcos Ortiz park and other locations including the fairground, the road safety education park, the Jardín de Los Conquistadores and other public areas along Calle Santomera.

Image: Town Hall of Cehegín

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