Vector sampling protocols outlining the recommended methods for collecting vectors have been issued today by ECDC and EFSA, to support entomologists and public-health professionals in Europe. It is a first attempt to summarise best-practices in terms of methods and strategies for sampling mosquitoes, sandflies, biting midges and ticks.
Ixodes ricinus are sensitive to climatic conditions, requiring a relative humidity of 80%, they are primarily observed across Europe in deciduous woodland and mixed forest.
ECDC publishes today the latest maps on the geographical distribution of exotic mosquitoes, sandlfies and ticks in Europe, the new maps updated with a more detailed classification of the geographical presence of vector species.