The Effects of Open-Air Fogging to Kill Mosquitoes
With mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria and others on the rise, the incidences of fogging has also increased in many residential areas.
While there are reports that claim the effects of fogging is not detrimental to humans, many would agree that it would definitely be better is there were less fogging activities. Many people have reported experiencing respiratory problems, headaches and nausea due to open-air fogging.
It is said that fogging is not really that effective in controlling the mosquito population. For each adult mosquito killed, many more larvae in the water remain unaffected. Reducing the number of larvae would be a much effective measure.
The pesticides used in vector control contain chemicals which are neurotoxins. Although the levels used are very low, most of us would prefer if they were not used at all. Fogging is also toxic and kills many other insect species like butterflies and bees.
A recent study was done in Malaysia to explore the effects of fogging on non-target invertebrates. The researchers noted the following in their discussion:-
“Our Bayesian models unequivocally demonstrate that fogging has detrimental effects on one pollinator order and non-target invertebrate orders, especially taxa that have comparatively lower levels of chitinisation. While fogging is effective in killing the target order (Diptera), no mosquitos were found dead in our experiment. In order to maintain urban biodiversity, we recommend that health authorities and the private sector move away from persistent insecticide fogging and to explore alternative measures to control adult mosquito populations.“
The research paper titled Persistent Mosquito Fogging Can Be Detrimental to Non-Target Invertebrates in An Urban Tropical Forest was published on 1st October 2020 is available at this link.
Colloidal Nano Silver Particles For Mosquito Control
There are several clinical studies that have been done that proves colloidal nano silver is effective in killing mosquito larvae if the larvae are already living in the water supply, and will do so without harming other aquatic creatures in the process.
In the research paper titled Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles for the Control of Mosquito Vectors of Malaria, Filariasis, and Dengue published in the journal Vector Borne Zoonotic Diseases in March 2012, the researchers discovered that very low concentrations of synthesized silver nanoparticles were needed to kill the mosquito larvae. Indeed, mosquito larvae were killed by as low as .30 ppm (less than one-third ppm), .41 ppm (less than one-half ppm) and 2.12 ppm silver nanoparticles.
Even mosquito larvae exposed to a mere .1 ppm silver nanoparticles – a tiny fraction of a single ppm – had their life spans (in days) reduced by 30%. What’s more, it turned out that female mosquitoes that lived after being exposed as larvae to only .1 ppm of colloidal silver had their adult egg-laying capacity reduced by 36%.
In another study paper titled, Green Synthesis and Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles Fabricated using Anisomeles indica: Mosquitocidal Potential Against Malaria, Dengue and Japanese Encephalitis Vectors published in the journal Experimental Parasitology in 2016, the researchers tested and evaluated silver nanoparticles against larvae of three different types of mosquitoes known to carry dangerous pathogens, i.e., the malaria vector Anopheles subpictus, the dengue vector Aedes albopictus and the Japanese encephalitis vector Culex tritaeniorhync. According to the researchers, nano silver was able to kill the larvae of “all tested mosquito species.”
How to Prepare Colloidal Nano Silver Solution to Control Mosquitoes?
Mix 5 to 10 ml of Colloidal Nano Silver 30ppm to 1 liter of water. Pour this solution into a 1 liter agriculture spray bottle or sprayer, and spray around the house. Focus on areas where water is found to be stagnant. One may also add 1ml to 5ml of colloidal nano silver into their fish tanks or water storage tanks to keep the water clear of any larvae and germs.
