Citizen science and Asian tiger mosquito: a pilot study on Procida island, a possible Mediterranean site for mosquito integrated vector management trials

During the past twenty years, the number of research projects involving people not trained as scientists, the so-called citizen science, has increased consistently, including mosquito monitoring and control projects. The involvement of citizens in mosquito monitoring programmes not only helps scientists during the data collection phase, but also raises public awareness on mosquito-transmitted diseases and educates citizens about virtuous behaviours that can help in reducing mosquito populations and their spread. The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Skuse) is an invasive species that became established in Europe starting in 1979, with Italy representing currently one of the most infested countries. Procida, a small Mediterranean island in the Naples gulf (Campania region, southern Italy) has unique and very interesting features facilitating the field testing of mosquito integrated vector management (IVM) approaches and control methods, including the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). With the help of the local municipal administration, the Procida citizens are actively involved as volunteers in monitoring the seasonal and spatial distribution of the Asian tiger mosquito. The collected baseline data will be useful to implement a future island-wide integrated suppression trial of Ae. albopictus, including the release of sterile males, to be carried out in collaboration with the local municipal administration and with the technical support of the Joint FAO/IAEA Division in Vienna.