If the invasion of moths that we saw in June in large cities like Madrid seemed like a nightmare to you, get ready because a plague that is common every summer returns, that of mosquitoes. There are many types and with greater or lesser danger in their bites. Therefore, protecting yourself and preventing them is always appropriate. More so now that we still have time.
In my particular case, I have reinstalled ‘Mosquito Alert’, a application capable of alerting us about pests and which was created by the Ministry of Health and the Alert and Emergency Coordination Center. For me, it is one of the most interesting applications because of everything it brings.
What it is and how to download ‘Mosquito Alert’
As we said in the introduction, it is an application that was launched to a public competition by the administrations, but which included experts in the field for its creation. See the CSIC (Higher Council for Scientific Research), the Pompeu Fabra University, the Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications and the Catalan Institute of Research and Advanced Studies.
It is a free app one hundred percent and does not require registration. It can be downloaded from the App Store and, despite not being updated for a year, we have been able to confirm that it will soon receive a new update to adjust to the possible changes in pests that are expected for this summer.
Personally, I have been surprised by the bad reviews, although far from the politicization of some of them, the truth is that it works well and fulfills its purpose. And that task is none other than to create a mosquito alert and information system in order to avoid their bites and know how to act in case these insects fulfill their function.
Five types of mosquitoes are protagonists
In ‘Mosquito Alert’ you can report and receive information about all types of mosquitoes, although as soon as you start the application, the start guide itself already warns us of the five potentially dangerous species. These are also the ones that are most present in the common pests each summer.
Those species that are warned about are none other than the tiger mosquito, the yellow fever mosquito, the Japanese mosquito, the Korean mosquito and the common mosquito. In the image itself you can see an image of them to identify them.
And it is precisely in the latter where we find one of the great virtues of ‘Mosquito Alert’, the Complete and detailed information about mosquitoes. Based on descriptions and photos, we can identify any mosquito we encounter, as well as the dangers of their bites and what we should do if we are victims of one.
Reports of bites and breeding areas
Another key point of this application is found in the community reports by any citizen. These are completely anonymous, but very useful to keep others informed. Something like when a traffic jam, construction site or any other element is reported in apps like Apple Maps, Google Maps or Waze.
- Report bite: Additional information must be provided such as the number of bites and areas of the body, how long ago we were bitten and where it bit us, first indicating whether it was on the street or indoors and then selecting the area on a map.
- Notify mosquito: Without having been bitten, we can warn about the presence of a mosquito, describe it and even upload a photo, in addition to indicating where we saw it.
- Notify breeding place: Mosquito breeding normally occurs in humid places such as fountains or sewers. In this section we can indicate where we have located it, in addition to marking it on a map.
Given these circumstances, It is advisable to have notifications activated for the application. This way we can receive warnings if dangerous mosquitoes have been detected in our area. In any case, you can always see the reports on a map.
Lots of information and even sending mosquitoes by postal mail
This last one sounds a little strange, but it’s true. If you find a rare species that could be useful to researchers, this application provides instructions for sending it to laboratories. However, we understand that this is not the star function of the app, nor will it be necessary.
Where we can find greater utility is in elements such as mosquito guide which is in one of the side menus of the application. It explains the types of mosquitoes in detail so we can identify them correctly.
Of course, this app is not everything. It is still convenient to have remedies at home for bites, but at least it helps detect pests and thus prevent ourselves. Furthermore, your information about the species is key to determining the level of danger and, in the worst case, going to the doctor.
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