What Is An Aedes Mosquito?

Aedes is a genus of mosquito originally found in tropical and subtropical zones, but has spread by human activity to all continents excluding Antarctica.

Several of the species transmit important human diseases and one species, Aedes albopictus, is the most invasive mosquito in the world. The name comes from the Greek aēdēs, meaning "unpleasant" or "odious", so called because of the diseases this mosquito transmits, including dengue fever and yellow fever.  In Malaysia the Aedes Mosquito is mostly associated with the spread of Dengue fever.

What Is Dengue Fever?

Dengue fever (pronounced /ˈdɛŋgeɪ/ (BrE), /ˈdɛŋgiː/ (AmE)) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are acute febrile diseases, found in the tropics and Africa, and caused by four closely related virus serotypes of the genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae.  It is also known as breakbone fever. The geographical spread is similar to malaria, including northern Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Honduras, Philippines, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela, Trinidad and now Samoa.

Unlike malaria, dengue is just as prevalent in the urban districts of its range as in rural areas. Each serotype is sufficiently different that there is no cross-protection and epidemics caused by multiple serotypes (hyperendemicity) can occur. Dengue is transmitted to humans by the Aedes aegypti or more rarely the Aedes albopictus mosquito, which feed during the day.

According to the WHO some 2.5 billion people, two fifths of the world's population, are now at risk from dengue and estimates that there may be 50 million cases of dengue infection worldwide every year. The disease is now endemic in more than 100 countries.

The Problem With Many Solutions

Many mosquito traps rely on the emission of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) as a lure to attract mosquitoes.  CO2 is a cause of global warming so it is totally non-eco-friendly.

The burning of chemicals is also a form of pollution as are chemical sprays.  Fogging can even cause greater harm to the wider environment as it is a bit like dropping a 1 ton bomb to kill 6 insects!  The wider harm of fogging is evident when considering its impact and the chain reaction it causes throughout both the natural food chain and the environment.  The toxins can build up as it progresses up the food chain and can eventually kill or harm many more species of animals.  For example affected moths can be eaten by bats which are eaten by snakes.  The plan was to kill mosquitoes but many other animals will be affected.

By reducing and removing potential breeding spots one can inhibit the problem but it is such a tiresome and repetitive process that it is impractical.  Forever draining and cleaning areas where stagnant water builds up requires a constant focus and often cost.  The fact is that even with vigilant removal of stagnant water near where people live, areas will always be missed.  Even more arrogantly, advocates of these tactics seem to forget that mosquitoes fly - so millions of mosquitoes can be buzzing in from out of town regardless of how clean and stagnant water free the town actually is!

Natural Predators

Probably the most eco-friendly way to kill off mosquitoes other than limiting their breeding grounds is to employ their natural predators.  Several animals feed on mosquitoes including fish, bats and lizards.  By protecting predator populations in urban and suburban areas - areas with dense human population, predators can eliminate allot of mosquitoes in mid air.

Closer to home more manageable natural predators can be employed and protected especially House Geckos and small fish such as the Guppy.

The Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) is highly regarded as the most effective predator of Mosquito larvae.  The Guppy has been deployed in vast numbers much to great success as a mosquito killer across the world.

The Guppy in it's wild form originates from Central America but it's popularity as an aquarium fish has led to selective breeding of many attractive and hardy variants.

The Guppy can survive in diverse water conditions including those affected by temperature and hardness which means it is an ideal fish for deployment across tropical and sub-tropical regions.

The Guppy is also an avid feeder on mosquito larvae which means a healthy population of the fish in a body of water can effectively control mosquitoes.

In Thailand it is common practice for home owners and shop keepers to maintain large pots outside their homes and business's with a few simple water plants and a hand full of Guppies inside.

Mosquitoes are attracted to the pots as they seem like ideal places for their larvae but the Guppies quickly prove the mosquitoes wrong!

Setting up these Guppy pots is a very low cost but highly effective solution.  Ideally everyone should consider keeping some of these pots around their homes and work places.  The pots can even look quite attractive and can be considered as much a hobby as keeping house plants.

The "fish in a pot" solution is also very low maintenance - especially if aquatic plants are also placed inside.  A typical setup cost in Malaysia would be as low as RM 200 for an aesthetically pleasing solution to the Dengue spreading Mosquito problem.