If it feels like there are more and more mosquitoes ever year in France - that's because there are.
A combination of warming temperatures and increasing immunity to pesticides means that mosquitoes are multiplying, and mild spring weather means that mosquito season is getting earlier. Some parts of southern France reported mosquitoes in February this year.
Not only that, the Asian tiger mosquito is also spreading through France - after arriving on the Mediterranean coast just over a decade ago it has now spread through almost all of mainland France.
READ ALSO: MAP: Where tiger mosquitoes are found in France✎
Tiger mosquitoes are active day and night, in contrast to European mosquitoes, which usually only come out at night, and can also spread a range of potentially fatal diseases, including Zika, dengue and Chikungunya.
In 2025, French public health authorities reported 93 cases of Chikungunya among people who had not recently travelled to one of the countries where it is endemic.
All of which means that French local authorities are looking for better ways to manage the horrible, vindictive, biting little pests.
Sterilisation
A company based in Hérault, southern France, has developed an innovative technique of breeding male mosquitoes in a laboratory, then using X-rays to make them sterile. The sterile males are then released over the summer months, the idea being that they will breed with the females, who will then lay sterile eggs.
The town of Brive in Corrèze, central France, was the first to trial this approach last year and said they saw a "noticeable drop" in the number of mosquitoes.
The commune of Mions, in the Lyon suburbs, is using the technique this year, preparing to release 200,000 sterile males between May and September.
In Montpellier, where the mosquito-sterilising company Terratis is based, the technique has also been used in the Thiers district - the area also hosts dozens of egg-traps so that scientists can see how many of the eggs being laid are sterile and how many will produce the next generation of blood-suckers.
Spraying
The more traditional method is spraying, and communes around France undertake this in the spring.
The spraying is usually done in February or March and aims to kill the mosquito eggs before they hatch, rather than killing the adult mosquitoes. They use a bacterial spray which kills the larvae but does not affect the surrounding ecosystem.
Pesticide sprays that kill mosquitoes are potentially a lot more damaging to the environment, but are sometimes used later in the year.
Mosquito traps
Also widely used are mosquito traps, which are used once the adult insects have started flying around, looking for tasty human flesh to nibble.
Local authorities buy large numbers of these traps every year for public areas, but homeowners can also buy them in DIY stores for use in a private garden or terrace.
Some people also create their own home-made traps, for example, a glass of vinegar with a drop of dish soap to attract and then drown the mosquitoes.
Plants, candles and coils
There are some plants which apparently repel mosquitoes, such as citronella or lemongrass - in French garden centres in the summer these are often marketed as 'anti-moustiques'. How effective they really are is open to debate.
READ ALSO: Life in France: 5 plants that (allegedly) repel mosquitoes✎
Then there are the traditional methods for householders, such as citronella candles or essential oils, or burning coils that produce supposedly mosquito-repellent smoke.
App
Other local authorities are focused on prevention, offering advice to locals on how to keep their homes and gardens unfriendly to mosquitoes.
In Bourg-la-Reine, in the greater Paris area, locals are encouraged to download the app Zzzap (yes, three z), which gives advice on combating the spread of mosquitoes and sends regular reminders to continue the insect battle.
The app, created by a Grenoble-based startup, is available across France and - if your local commune is a partner - can provide advice tailored to your location and climate.
The key advice is to avoid creating pools of stagnant water, which make a perfect mosquito breeding ground - anyone with a garden or terrace is urged not to water water collect and stand there.
Homeowners can also follow tips like using mosquito screens and a fan, while gardeners can plant the shrubs that - allegedly - repel mosquitoes.
READ ALSO: How to prevent the spread of tiger mosquitoes in France✎
Local decree
Back in 2018, a local mayor named André Marchand issued an official decree banning mosquitoes from his village of Briollay in Maine-et-Loire, western France.
Spring flooding had led to a bumper crop of mosquitoes that year and, clearly, André had had enough.
There is no evidence that his decree was successful, due to the fact that mosquitoes cannot read, and even if they could, they are notorious rule-breakers. On a more practical level, he also bought mosquito traps and distributed them around the commune.
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