89 - 91 Chen Chee Dhang.pmd

Photon (light) technology has already been widely used in make-up, medical treatment etc, but repelling mosquitoes by photon technology is an innovation. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of a mosquito repelling lamp, E Da under indoor conditions. E Da lamp is a lamp coated with yellow luminous pigment on the inner part of the glass bulb of the lamp which is used to screen out the UV radiation, and when it is turned on, the yellow illuminating wavelength will drive the mosquitoes away. The tests were conducted inside 2 cabins measuring 8’ X 8’ X 20’. The mosquito population was estimated by using the Bare Leg Catch (BLC) techniques. For treated test, E Da lamp was placed indoor 2 – 3 meters away from a human bait. Another cabin without the lamp was used as untreated control. BLC was conducted in both sites simultaneously. The mosquitoes collected in this study were solely those of Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes albopictus. There was an 91.34% reduction of Cx. quinquefasciatus population in the treated test compared with the untreated cabin during the 4 hours catches (p < 0.05). E Da mosquito repelling lamp used in this study exerted repellency effect against the mosquitoes especially Cx. quinquefasciatus. Various substance and methods of application have been used since ancient times to repel blood-sucking insects. The first methods man used to repel insects was with smoke, covering the skin with mud, or by applying a variety of animal fats and greases (Novak & Gerberg, 2005). Smoke from an open fire repels insects, especially in still air or poorly ventilated dwelling. The repellent effect of smoke may be increased by burning certain materials such as aromatic wood containing resins or various types of plant. In southern India, leaves of Vitex negundo are burned to repel mosquitoes from houses (Curtis et al., 1989). The oils of some plants, such as citronella, are repellent when applied directly to the skin or clothing but their protective effect is very brief. It has sometimes been prolonged by mixing the volatile repellent with animal fat or oil to reduce the rate or evaporation (Rozendaal, 1997). Many traditional repellents have the disadvantages that (1) they last a very short time, (2) they are unpleasant to use (strong odour and irritating) and (3) they may have unhealthy side effects (e.g. smoke) (Rozendaal, 1997). Photon (light) technology i.e. utilization of light has already been widely used in make-up, medical treatment etc, but repelling mosquitoes by photon technology is an innovation, which is an environmentally friendly way to repel mosquitoes. Insect vision is very different from human. Insects are attracted to light in the UV part of the spectrum. In contrast, they