BATAC CITY, Ilocos Norte May 18 – You can get rid of the dengue-causing mosquito for less than P50.The mosquito trap device of the Department of Science and Technology attracts female mosquitoes to lay eggs on a container with a natural solution that kills mosquito eggs and larvae, resulting in the decrease of dengue cases.
Also called the Ovicidal/Larvicidal trap system or OL trap, the anti-dengue device is made of a small plastic black container filled with an organic solution and a wooden stick drenched with the solution and placed upright in the container.Fehlander Madriaga, DOST provincial chief, said the black container will attract mosquitoes and will lay their eggs on the stick.“The fumes of the solution kill the eggs and larvae,” he said noting that a kit costs no more than P50.The DOST is set to release anti-dengue kits to 1,000 households in Laoag, Batac, Dingras and San Nicolas where cases of dengue are high. The kits will be released initially in Batac.
Based on DOST’s instructional video, the device can be placed in the backyard, garden area and inside the house where mosquitoes can be found and trapped.According to DOST, the trap may last up to two months, outliving a generation of mosquitoes which has a lifespan of only one month.
The nationwide roll out of the trap system began in February in Tacloban City where the highest number of dengue cases in 2010 was reported.According to the DOST, field application of the device will cover 50,000 households in 17 regions. (Cristina Arzadon)
