Ticks, mosquitoes & co.

These dangers lurk in the “Austrian jungle”

Infectious African ticks lurk in the meadows and tiger mosquitoes have already landed in the floodplains! And even the sting of a wasp can be fatal in the event of an allergic shock.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Bernd Weißbrod, APA/Fabian Sommer, APA/CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL/JAMES GATHAN)

In extreme cases, a wasp sting can kill allergy sufferers. But there are other very dangerous insects out there. 

Actually, it is just a butterfly that - once hatched - flutters around in a mouse-brown color and is of little interest to anyone except die-hard entomologists. But as a caterpillar, the oak processionary moth is pretty nasty and an unpleasant fellow inhabitant in nature. Once poked or even touched unintentionally, the otherwise quite inconspicuous moth extends its stinging hairs, which then penetrate the skin via thousands of small bites.

A common allergic reaction is hives (urticaria). It occurs around 15 to 60 minutes after contact with the hairs. The characteristic reddish, itchy wheals appear particularly on the arms and neck.

Change clothes immediately in the event of a nettle attack
If you have been attacked out there, your only option is to run away - so change your clothes as quickly as possible, take a shower and wash your hair thoroughly. At the same time, control teams have to move out to the ecological hotspots - such as the parks at Schönbrunn.

In Schönbrunn, oak processionary moths had to be combated.

(Bild: Bundesgartenamt)

In addition, a namesake of the moth, the oak web bug, is increasingly causing problems in nature. Admittedly, its sting on the skin feels almost like a caress against the caterpillars.

Wasp stings can be fatal
Worse, however, are the particularly aggressive and unexpectedly stinging common wasps - as the genus is called - due to this year's warm and humid tropical weather. The worst possible allergic reaction: anaphylactic shock.

This can be life-threatening for the person affected. However, there is also the somewhat more peaceful German wasp. However, because it builds its burrows visibly, this species - in contrast to its hidden "common" relatives - is much more likely to be killed.

New tick species runs after victims for 100 meters
It is also important to be on the lookout for the increasingly common Hyalomma ticks in fields, meadows and at the edge of forests. They are regarded as carriers of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever: a viral disease for which there is no vaccination and no medication. Particularly frightening: the African bloodsucker species hunts actively, has good eyesight and runs so fast that it can follow its victims for up to a hundred meters.

A Hyalomma rufipes, also known as the African tick (right), lies next to a forest tick of the genus brown tick (left).

(Bild: APA Pool/APA/dpa/Fabian Sommer)

Keyword gels! These bloodsuckers have also multiplied explosively this summer. But beware: climate change is now attracting more Asian tiger mosquitoes. The "Aedes albopictus" are possible carriers of over 20 different pathogens.

The tiger mosquito is being spotted more and more frequently in our local floodplains. They can also transmit dangerous diseases.

(Bild: APA/JAMES GATHAN)

Our luck: they are still rare in this country. But in view of climate change, they will sooner or later become indigenous and ineradicable in the "Austrian jungle" with ecological certainty.