People are advised to prioritize source reduction and physical control measures over using chemical controls to get rid of mosquitoes, National Chung Hsing University entomology professor Lee Hou-feng (李後鋒) said yesterday.
Lee made the comment during a Ministry of Environment news conference promoting proper mosquito prevention practices, as the weather is warming up for the summer.
Mosquitoes are insects that live on water, and water is indispensable to people’s daily lives, Lee said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Environment
It would be illogical for people to seek to kill all mosquitoes through chemical control measures while unintentionally breeding them because of water accumulations, he said.
Therefore, reducing mosquito breeding rates via source control is more important than killing them, Lee said.
People should check for any water-collecting container and empty them, he said, adding that those must be scrubbed or disposed of if no longer needed.
Mosquitoes’ breeding sources must be reduced before other approaches are taken to repel or kill the remaining insects, he said.
Physical control approaches, such as mosquito lamps, electric swatters or bed nets, are better, as they are safer than chemical measures, Lee said, adding that it is recommended to wear hats, gloves, pants and long-sleeved clothes while outdoors.
Chemical controls could be divided into three categories: killer, repellent and protector, he said.
Killer-type measures include the use of insecticide sprays, electric mosquito repellent liquids and mosquito coils, which could kill mosquitoes in completely enclosed spaces, he said, adding that people and pets, such as cats, dogs or fish, must be evacuated from the spaces beforehand.
The main mosquito killing ingredient, pyrethrin, is more toxic to aquatic life than to mammals, but cats or dogs could get poisoned if it gets on their fur, as they groom themselves by licking their fur, Lee said.
Electric mosquito repellent liquids and mosquito coils could also be used as repellents in a well-ventilated space, as they could drive away insects or knock them unconscious, he said.
The liquids or coils should be placed at the upwind side of the space, so that external airflows could help fill the space with the chemicals at low levels that are safe for people and their pets, Lee said.
Protector-type controls include anti-mosquito sprays and mosquito repellent hangers, which could be worn or applied to the human body, he said.
Such measures are safe, but cannot kill mosquitoes, Lee said, adding that they could keep people “hidden” from mosquitoes by disrupting the insect’s sense of smell.
The ministry called on the public to scrub containers clean to ensure that mosquito eggs have been removed after the water has been drained, adding that mosquitoes could lay 200 to 300 eggs at once.
People should also remove water from areas where water often pools, such as tarpaulins, waste tires or roof gutters, it said, adding that those who refuse to do so could be fined up to NT$6,000, in accordance with the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法).
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