The Tiger mosquito has found an important opponent. The new Terracis company, based in Montpellier (Hérault), is the first to use a formidable method to limit the proliferation of the insect that has serious diseases.
Call sterile insect technique (STIs), consists of sterilization of the mosquito tiger masculine that, when reproducing with a female, will create empty eggs. A lasting solution, without insecticides, based on 14 years of scientific research from the Development Research Institute (IRD).
Radiation sterialization
In the laboratory of the young company, Tiger mosquito eggs are supported and stay hot to give larvae. The latter transform into the state of Nymph before reaching its adult form. The main room accommodates dozens of chests that welcome thousands of mosquitoes to facilitate reproduction.
“We keep part of insects, men and women, to put them back in the breeding, that is, in continuous production. And a large part of men will be subject to sterilization and released,” explains Clélia Oliva, the founding president of Terrais.
The males separate from the females to be treated. “They remain cold and, therefore, remain motionless to suffer a 12 -minute radiation,” he explains.
Once sterilized, a lot of male tiger mosquitoes will be released in specific areas. Aim? Together with females that lie empty eggs, which will limit their proliferation.
A population reduced to 60% in a year
According to an IRD study report, the sterile insect technique is formidable for efficiency. A test in real conditions in the DuPARC district in Sainte-Marie (meeting) reduced the birth rate of Tigre mosquitoes by 50% on average and up to 60% from the first year.
Clélia Oliva, BFM Business Guest Last month, he finally points out that this percentage can increase to 90% for the second year of treatment.
“If researchers are adequate so that the PIO does not completely eliminate the population of mosquitoes, it is a truly convincing means of struggle,” said Louis Clément Gouagna, a medical entomologist of IRD and Coordinator of the IT program in meeting.
Thanks to this solution with Hope, thermatis hopes to have an operational factory in 2028 to deploy more widely in agriculture, in particular to fight against agricultural pests. The new company announced a fundraising of up to 1.5 million euros last March and the local communities already request it as condominium trusts.
Disease
Introduced in Metropolitan France in 2004, the Tiger mosquito was gradually established in 78 departments. In 2024, Morbihan, Moselle, Oise, Sethe, Sena-Maritime, Yonne and the Belfort Territire were colonized.
Diptere represents a danger to humans because it can transmit dangerous viruses, such as dengue, chikungunya and zika. The Ministry of Health listed more than 2,000 cases of dengue in continental France in 2023.
In addition to sophisticated laboratory techniques, it is recommended to eliminate stagnant waters inside and around habitats to limit proliferation. Similarly, the installation of mosquito networks or repellent prevents bites.
Source: BFM TV
