Pest control fogging

THE dengue situation in Singapore has worsened even though fogging is being increasingly carried out, especially in my neighbourhood where it is done almost daily in different houses.

The routine use of thermal fogging should be banned.

Routine fogging is ineffective, gives people a false sense of security, creates pesticide resistance in mosquitoes, destroys their natural predators and increases the toxic load on the environment.

For every 10 adult mosquitoes killed by fogging, there are hundreds of others waiting to hatch if the breeding spots are not attended to.

Pest control companies should search for and destroy the breeding areas and treat chronically wet areas with BTI insecticide, which uses bacteria to kill mosquito larvae and does not affect the environment.

Controlled thermal fogging should be used only when there is an active cluster of dengue or chikungunya in the area, and with approval from the National Environment Agency. This destroys the vectors carrying the virus and prevents them from spreading the diseases.

Banning routine fogging and focusing on destroying mosquito breeding areas should enable us to drastically reduce the incidence of mosquito-borne diseases, and create a safer and healthier environment.