Mosquito Aedes is our enemy

Let's fight dengue together.

Eliminate mosquito aedes

by fogging

The Asian tiger mosquito or forest day mosquito (Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus), from the mosquito family Culicidae, is characterized by its black and white striped legs, and small black and white body. It is native to the tropical and subtropical areas of Southeast Asia; however, in the past couple of decades this species has invaded many countries throughout the world through the transport of goods and increasing international travel. This mosquito has become a significant pest in many communities because it closely associates with humans (rather than living in wetlands), and typically flies and feeds in the daytime in addition to at dusk and dawn.

Habitat
Asian tiger mosquitoes occur in urban, suburban and rural regions. They can also exist in woodlands, particularly on the outer fringe close to human settlements and in secondary forests. You will very seldom find them in vegetation poor biotypes.

Diet and Host Location
Like other mosquito species, only the females require a blood meal to develop their eggs. Apart from that, they receive their energy demand from nectar and other sweet plant juices just as the males do. In regards to host location, Carbon Dioxide and organic substances produced from the host, humidity, and optical recognition play important roles.
The search for a host takes place in two phases. First, the mosquito exhibits a nonspecific searching behavior until the perception of host stimulants which is then followed by a targeted approach For catching tiger mosquitoes with special traps, carbon dioxide and a combination of chemicals that naturally occur in human skin are the most attractive. The Asian tiger mosquito particularly bites during the day. Depending upon region and biotype there are differing active peaks but for the most part they rest during the morning and night hours. They search for their hosts inside and outside of human dwellings, but are particularly active outside. The size of the blood meal depends upon the size of the mosquito, but it is usually around 2 microliters μl.

Role as Disease VectorsIt is known that Aedes albopictus can transmit pathogens and viruses, such as, the West Nile Virus, Yellow fever virus, St. Louis Encephalitis, Dengue fever, and Chikungunya fever to name a few.

Control and Suppression

Aedes albopictus has proven to be very difficult to suppress or to control due to their remarkable ability to adapt to various environments, their close contact with humans, and their reproductive biology.

Efficient monitoring or surveillance is essential to prevent the spread and establishment of the species. In addition to the monitoring of ports, warehouses with imported plants, and stockpiles of tires, rest areas on highways and train stations should be monitored with appropriate methods.

So called Ovitraps are normally used for the monitoring or control of possible breeding waters of Aedes albopictus. They are black water containers with floating Styrofoam blocks or small wooden paddles that are in contact with the surface of the water. Female tiger mosquitoes that are present in the area lay their eggs on these surfaces. Through the identification of these eggs or of the larvae that hatch from these eggs in the laboratory the presence and abundance of mosquito species can be detected. Versions of these traps with an adhesive film (sticky traps) that catch the egg depositing mosquitoes are more complicated in terms of handling. The results are variable and depend on the availability of alternative egg depositing waters. Due to this, it would be best to use them in large numbers and in conjunction with other monitoring methods.

To date, there are not many effective traps for the Asian tiger mosquito and those traps that catch other species of mosquitoes do not adequately catch tiger mosquitoes. In the meantime, a new trap has appeared that has been proven to catch Aedes albopictus significantly well. This device, with the help of a ventilator, produces an upward air current of Ammonia, fatty acids, and lactic acids that takes a similar form and smell of a human body. With the addition of carbon dioxide, the efficacy of the trap is increased. This means there is a suitable tool available for trapping tiger mosquitoes and, for example, examining the existence of viruses in the trapped mosquitoes. Previously, the anthropophilic mosquitoes had to be collected off of volunteers to be studied, which is in itself an ethically questionable method especially during epidemics.

The control of the Asian tiger mosquito begins with the emptying or the overturning of possible breeding waters such as water filled containers. Flower pots, standing flower vases, knotholes and other crevices that can collect water should be filled with sand or fine gravel to prevent mosquitoes from laying their eggs in them. Otherwise have stagnant water treated with larvicides (such as Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, BTI) or insecticides.

Efforts to curb the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses have led many government agencies to initiate programs to spray for mosquito control. This mosquito is active in the daytime, not just after dawn and just before dusk as most indigenous mosquito species, and so is a likely culprit if people or pets are being bitten in the daytime. Most mosquito spraying done at night will have little effect on Asian tiger mosquitoes.

It is however, possible to find and deal with the breeding spots, which are never far from where people are being bitten, since this is a weak flyer, with only about a 200-yard lifetime flying radius. Locate puddles that last more than three days, sagging or plugged roof gutters, old tires holding water, litter, bird baths, kiddie pools, inlets to sewers and drainage systems holding stagnant water and any other possible containers or pools of standing water. Flowing water will not be a breeding spot and water that contains minnows is not usually a problem, because the fish eat the mosquito larvae. Dragonflies are also an excellent method of imposing control. Dragonfly larvae eat mosquito larvae in the water, and adults will snatch adult mosquitoes as they fly. Insecticide application that also kills dragonflies may actually cause only a brief suppression of mosquitoes, followed by a long term increase in populations.

Whenever possible, all sources of standing water, even if only a quarter cup, should be dumped every three days. Litter, especially containers in ditches, can hold water after the ditch dries up, and all litter should be cleaned up. Bird baths, wading pools, and any other containers that can hold rainwater should be emptied.

Any standing water in pools, catchment basins, etc, that cannot be drained, or dumped, can be periodically treated with properly labeled insecticides often formed into doughnut shaped "mosquito dunks." The BTI disease organism only affects pest insects. While floating or tied to a small weight, they slowly release a long term biological mosquito larvicide killing the larvae young mosquitos before they hatch into adults reportedly without affecting fish, plants, people or wildlife. It is readily available at farm, garden, and pool suppliers.

Effective Way To Control Mosquito Bites

Effective Way To Control Mosquito Bites

The most effective way not to get any mosquito bites is understanding mosquitoes and then doing as much as possible to prevent them from biting you.

Indoor mosquito control

Knowledge you say? You most likely know that only female mosquitoes bite, but what do you do with that knowledge when you are am indoors?

The above knowledge is more for researchers and mosquito killing on a large scale, when it comes to indoor mosquito control: you need to know how to keep those few mosquitoes out of your house.

Because it only takes one Aedes Mosquito bite to give you dengue fever…
Indoor mosquito repellent

It’s ideal to kill a mosquito when you see it but can’t squash it with your bare hands.
The disadvantage is the odor of the repellent : if the spray kills mosquitoes, how harmful is it for you?

Mosquito netting

A harmless and easy way to protect yourself against mosquitoes is using mosquito netting: the natural draft in your house will be reduced… That’s true, yet a ventilator solves that problem

Mosquito netting and indoor mosquito repellent
Using a very slow release indoor mosquito repellent will help. And mosquito oil/lotion to prevent mosquito bites.