Hyderabad: Flowers arranged in decorative plates and kept in living rooms to add aesthetic value have been found to be another breeding ground for dengue mosquitoes, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology. Flower arrangements are common in many homes. The GHMC insists that the plates must be dried once in a week to prevent dengue mosquitoes from breeding.
GHMC chief entomologist V. Venkatesh said, “People must remember that keeping water in the plate for seven days at a stretch allows for breeding of mosquitoes. Whatever arrangements are carried out, residents must change the water every three days, dry the plate and re-use it again. When these aspects are taken care of then the breeding can be avoided.”
Some residents throw the flowers back in their kitchen garden or pots for composting. Mr Venkatesh said, “Even 10 ml of water is enough for the breeding of the Aedes albopictus mosquito (which causes dengue). Hence the flowers must be completely drained of water before being thrown in the kitchen garden for composting manure.”
As flowers provide nectar, which is a source of energy, mosquitoes find it easy to get food and also a suitable atmosphere to lay eggs in the decorative plate containing water. Dr Sandeep Ghanta, consultant physician, told this correspondent, “The water must be replaced but the process of drying must not be forgotten. Using the same plate without drying will give a chance to the mosquito to breed. Also larger containers are found to have more eggs and that can be very dangerous for the household. Hence complete drying of the container is very important.”
Mosquito repellant gadgets are not effective: Doctors
A series of electronic mosquito repellent apps are available for download on smartphones. These apps make the smartphones emit high frequency sounds which, it is claimed, repels the dangerous female mosquitoes. The sound is said to be above the hearing range of a normal person.
Asked about their efficacy, Dr H. Kishan Rao, general physician at Apollo Hospitals, said, “We have not come across any study which states that electronic repellents keep mosquitoes away. A 2010 review which had examined 10 field studies stated that ultrasonic repellent devices have no effect on preventing mosquito bites and should not be recommended or used.”
Dr G. Srinivas, senior general physician, added, “Areas with lakes and ponds have hundreds of mosquitoes and sounds are not going to keep them away. We require an effective mechanism to kill them and ensure that they do not bite us and that is what is important for all of us.”
