The other day while talking with a neighbor, I was warned about "el mosquito tigre." That night I told my husband that "there are mosquitos during the summer and I guess they are quite ferocious because they say they are like tigers." Well, looks like I better enroll in my Spanish refresher course sooner rather than later. It turns out that the type of mosquito my neighbor was talking about, was in fact "el mosquito tigre." (AKA: The Asian Tiger Mosquito or Aedes albopictus)
A tiger mosquito??? What?? Sounds worrisome to me! Especially when you consider that our new home has no window screens! And I found the little bugger in my kitchen yesterday morning. We live across the street from Parc de Collserola, so I imagine we'll have other visitors.
Turns out it is fairly common for windows to be sans fly screens here. I would love to know why? Even if you don't have "el mosquito tigre" to worry about, there are still flies and less exotic mosquitos. Perhaps I am just another paranoid American? But, c'mon really, aren't flying insects in your house a tad bit annoying?
I think I may have found a solution. While browsing the aisles of my local hipermercado Eroski, I came across a large display for DIY insect screens (in English) by Tesa Tape.
Tesa makes screens that one may install onto a window frame, similar to replacing a screen slider door. There is another type that you can apply with an easy on and off hook and loop tape. This allows you to detach the screen and lift it to access the outside of the window (like to water flowers in a window box). You can even hang strips of screen that are bottom-weighted so that you can walk through a screen door (think screen door a la beaded curtain). Now, I need to figure out how to "MacGyver" screens to fit my slider windows that have roll-down shutters on the outside.
Seems like a much better option, albeit more work-inducing, than the common solution used here - plug-in mosquito repellent with suspicious ingredients. You plug in a little device that emits a repellent vapor for mosquito protection. Read small print on the back of the box, and you will find a logo of a fish dying out of water that says, "bad for the environment." Currently, we are using these plugs (along with citronella candles and lotions) that emit an ultrasonic noise, undetectable to humans, that sounds like a mosquito predator. The theory being the mosquitos will stay away from the noise out of fear. So far so good, but I'll also be installing screens.
- Wondering if "el mosquito tigre" lives near you? If you are in the USA, you can check out from Chester G. Moore at Colorado State University on Exotic Mosquitos in the USA.
