It is an incessant broom that is played several meters high in the sky of Saint-Louis (Haut-Rhin).
Every minute, a swallow leaves or arrives in his “hotel”, made available to him by the Ludovic town hall.
They are actually turrets which each house about sixty nests.
“Since 2017, we have installed 5“ hotels ”in swallows in the town,” explains Virginie Wolff, the town hall's environmental manager.
The protected species is welcomed with open arms by the small Alsatian town because it makes it possible to fight against a plague: the proliferation of tiger mosquitoes since 2014. “When we know that this insect can carry human viruses, it is important to eliminate it, ”continues Virginie Wolff.
With the help of the Bird Protection League and the Haut-Rhin Green Brigade, the town hall of Saint-Louis therefore uses swallows to overcome this invasive species.
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“These birds can eat up to 3000 insects a day, they are great natural insecticides,” says the manager. In their hotels, the swallows lay eggs in peace. “The idea is to make it easier for them in order to perpetuate their presence. When they return from their winter migration to Africa, these birds are tired and struggle to build a nest. Our city officials build them for them and, thus, the swallows just have to come and nest there before going to feast on the mosquitoes ”, rejoices Virginie Wolff.