S. Korean researchers suggest a new plan to fight mosquitoes
살충제 없이 모기 방제 '서울기술연구원' 새로운 대책 제시 One of th most annoying summer pests are undoubtedly mosquitos. Well a research institute in South Korea says they have come up with a solution to curb the number of these insects. And it's environmentally friendly. Our KIM Jungsil provides a glimpse of this technology. One of the least-welcomed guests in the summer months that bothers people day and night! The mosquitoes! If only there was a simple way to curb their numbers. We went out to hear what people had to say about this tiny summer party crasher. "When I go to a mountain, black mosquitoes bite me unless I move around constantly. They bite so much it hurts. When I come home I feel so itchy I have to wash the bite marks off with water." "I get bitten all the time so I prepare repellant and stuff like that more than other people. I have it in my house and I also use a mosquito net." But there may be a solution on the horizon as one research institute in Seoul says they have found a way to control the number of mosquitoes that's better than using chemicals. The institute says it paid particular attention to the fact that mosquitoes can pass through spaces as small as 2mm. "Since Seoul is a large city, we paid attention to damp, humid places around residential areas. And sewer manholes and ventilation pipes for septic tanks came up as prime suspects." Manholes or septic tank ventilation pipes provide the perfect warm and damp conditions for female mosquitoes to lay their eggs. These places are also filled with germs that are potentially dangerous to humans. "The research institute says using rubber like this or nets like these, can fill gaps so that fewer mosquitoes can escape from sewers. Another advantage - they are cheaper than using chemicals." The rubber seal and the nets cost somewhere between 3,000 to 10,000 Korean won which is roughly two to eight US dollars. The chemical that each district office in Seoul uses can cost up to 150 million Korean won or roughly 110,000 dollars per year. So, how do we actually use these nets and rubber seals? First, the manhole lid needs to be opened. Then the rubber seal should be placed to fill gaps before the lid is closed again. Also, on septic tank ventilation pipes, the exposed end of the pipe can be covered with a very fine net. This way, mosquitoes are unable to escape. The institute tried its method at 400 buildings within a one-kilometer radius of the Sang-am-dong neighborhood in Mapo-gu district. It said 220,000 mosquitoes, or about 48.9%, were kept under control simply by closing or covering gaps. The researchers said they will now recommend these methods for areas in Seoul that have the largest mosquito populations. KIM Jung-sil, Arirang News. #mosquito #mosquito_net #SouthKorea 📣 Arirang News(Facebook) : / arirangtvnews 📣 Arirang News(Twitter) : / arirangtvnews 📣 News Center(YouTube) : / newscenter_arirangtv 2022-07-19, 12:00 (KST)
