Ex-school teacher devises mosquito trap

Ridma DISSANAYAKE

Cyril Dandeniya, who lives in Mawanella, has invented a device for controlling mosquito density. First he had introduced this equipment as an anti-mosquito water box and at present it has been modernized as a mosquito density control device according to scientific instructions.

Cyril Dandeniya from Mawanella has invented mosquito density control equipment. Mosquitoes lay eggs inside the trap and the larvae die once they are born. The Medical Research Institute (MRI), Colombo requests inventors to come forward with their creations. The MRI will assist them to manufacture their inventions in a user friendly manner.

He had used only a plastic plate, mega bottles and a piece of mosquitoe net for the equipment.

This plate should be filled with water. The space between bottle and the plate should be covered by the piece of net. After that this equipment can be hung or placed in two or three places outside the house.

The female mosquitoes who are close to laying eggs are drawn to lay their eggs inside this trap and their eggs will deposit at the bottom of the plastic plate. But the mosquitoes who grew up in the plate cannot come out from the net and they will die in the plate.

The mosquito's life span is only one week and a female mosquito lays 200 eggs in that period.

This equipment will not release even a single mosquito to the environment and that generation will finish with the parents.

Cyril Dandeniya is a retired teacher and he is now creating a variety of equipment to safeguard public health.

Borella Medical Research Institute's (MRI) Entomologist Upeksha Warusavithana said that MRI is ready to grant technical knowledge and assistance to creations like this equipment.

She also noted that controlling the mosquito breeding and density are the most suitable methods to control the diseases which are spreading via mosquitoes.

MRI Director Dr.Anil Samaranayake also participated in the equipment launching ceremony.