Spain’s Biggest Blood-Sucking Pest Facing Technology Battle To Spot When It Will Attack

SPAIN’S biggest blood-sucking pest is now facing a technology battle to spot when it will attack.

The Murcia region has brought in a group of boffins to study the tiger mosquito and when it is likely to strike against residents.

Regular sprayings and warnings to people to not let it breed in stagnant pools of water seem to have little effect, and now Murcia’s Health Ministry has gone high-tech to at least offer some predictions as to when the pest might start its biting sprees, and where.

A new survey backed up by computer technology will try to find out when and where the tiger mosquito is likely to cause problems in the region this year.

Two hundred monitoring points have been set up across the area, including the Mar Menor, to see where the pest is laying eggs.

Samples will be collected every fortnight and details of egg numbers and locations will be input into a specially-designed computer programme at the Virgen de la Arrixaca Hospital in Murcia.

A prediction will then be made as to when the tiger mosquito is most likely to strike against residents in particular parts of the Murcia region, which will allow warnings to be issued to residents.

The project will run until December.

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Written by

Alex Trelinski

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