About insects

Mosquitoes, ticks, flies, midges and other flying insects are everywhere.

We tend to be more wary of mosquitoes in hot countries for fear of catching certain serious diseases such as malaria, dengue fever and chikungunya.

But take note. Even in Europe, insects can pose a particular threat and some, such as ticks, can carry serious diseases.

Mosquitoes

Various species of mosquitoes live in most regions of the world. They feed on flower nectar.

Only the adult female bites at a certain period. It takes blood containing proteins needed to make eggs. It locates its target by sense of smell, attracted by the odours given off by the skin or certain fragrances (which is why some people are bitten more often than others). When it bites, it injects anticoagulant saliva, which causes a more or less severe inflammatory reaction, forming an itchy spot.

But it is also through its proboscis which it uses to bite that the mosquito can transmit serious or even fatal diseases, such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever or the West Nile virus.

Midges

The term "midges" describes small fly species rather than baby flies. People often regard midges as annoying and dirty insects. But they can also carry diseases.

Like mosquitoes, the females need blood to feed their eggs. They bite and deposit an anticoagulant under the skin before sucking up blood. This irritates the skin and causes raised bite marks.

Thus, particularly aggressive biting midges often bother walkers on the banks of the Scottish lochs in the periods May-June and September-October. In French, they are also known as "simuli" because, in appearance and behaviour, they simulate mosquitoes. They attack en masse, bite and inflict severe itching. You should also avoid scratching because that can cause serious secondary infections.

Ticks

Ticks are brownish-black mite. They are found all over the northern hemisphere (USA, Europe) in wooded regions, long grass, shrubs and bushes, ferns and brackens, etc. And although bites mainly occur in summer, people may be bitten any time from April to November.

This is a parasite that feeds on animal or human blood. So, the tick will bite into the skin, stay attached, pump the blood and then move on to another "host". It can carry many animal and human pathologies.

When the tick is discovered, it should be removed quickly because the risk of contamination increases with length of contact. Make sure you also remove all of it!

Lyme disease is an infection that can be caught after being bitten by an infected tick.

For info: 10 % of the ticks present in Europe are infected with a pathogenic bacterium.