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posted by CoolHand on Thursday August 24 2017, @04:38PM   Printer-friendly
from the bloodsucker-witch-hunt dept.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Mosquitoes aren't just blood thirsty. They also have a sweet tooth, relying on plant nectar to get the sugar they need to survive. Exploiting this weakness, scientists have developed an environmentally friendly eradication method. The new, inexpensive technique tricks these annoying pests into gorging themselves on insecticides laced with a concoction that mimics the sweet-smelling scents and aromas that they find irresistible. It could bolster efforts to suppress malaria, Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases worldwide.

The researchers are presenting their work today at the 254th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

"The blend of chemicals that we use to attract mosquitoes is so powerful that they will ignore natural plant odors and attractants in order to get to our formulation," says Agenor Mafra-Neto, Ph.D. "From a mosquito's point of view, it's like having an irresistible chocolate shop on every corner. The product is so seductive that they will feed on it almost exclusively, even when it contains lethal doses of insecticide."

Conventional chemical insecticides used to control mosquitoes are used as cover sprays, frequently dispersed over wide areas. But this blanket spray approach exposes people and animals to potentially harmful compounds and can kill bees and other beneficial insects. In addition, residues of these sprays can contaminate soils and streams, as well as promote increased pesticide resistance. To overcome these issues, Mafra-Neto of ISCA Technologies and colleagues at several universities sought to create a more targeted approach using an insecticide potion spiked with a blend of semiochemicals, or chemical signals, that mosquitoes can't resist.

-- submitted from IRC


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  • (Score: 2) by mhajicek on Thursday August 24 2017, @09:01PM (3 children)

    by mhajicek (51) on Thursday August 24 2017, @09:01PM (#558595)

    In addition, how do the bats etc. fair on a diet of poisoned mosquitos?

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  • (Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Thursday August 24 2017, @09:17PM (1 child)

    by Grishnakh (2831) on Thursday August 24 2017, @09:17PM (#558604)

    Surely the idea is that the poisoned mosquitoes die very quickly, probably even before they leave the trap. At least I hope it's that effective; if the mosquitoes are flying around for some time filled with poison, that would certainly wreak havoc on the bats.

    • (Score: 2) by linkdude64 on Thursday August 24 2017, @10:16PM

      by linkdude64 (5482) on Thursday August 24 2017, @10:16PM (#558625)

      Or the other people they might bite with the poison in them...

  • (Score: 2) by fraxinus-tree on Friday August 25 2017, @10:08AM

    by fraxinus-tree (5590) on Friday August 25 2017, @10:08AM (#558796)

    Most insecticides are harmless or do very little damage to mammals (bats and humans included). And no one said that the "solution" will be deployed world-wide.

    I have bats living under my roof. They made my yard almost mosquito-less. The landlord was skeptical for them until I explained what they feed on.