Seocho Ward Office Fights Mosquitoes With Mudfish

By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

Are sprays and mosquito coils the only way to get rid of mosquitoes?

Due to global warming, mosquitoes prominent during the summer are now being seen all year round given the slightly warmer weather in some areas, leading to demand for stronger-than-ever measures.

Seocho-gu Office, in southern Seoul, came up with the new idea of using the mosquitoes' natural enemy: mudfish.

The district's Public Healthcare Center team released 30 mudfish in three water-collecting tanks of apartments in the area in 2007. After 15 days, the team found 10 had survived and eaten 98.9 percent of the larva of mosquitoes there. Since the water in these tanks is severely polluted, the survival rate of one third is more than encouraging, the team said.

Yu Jeong-ae, a district office staff member, said a mudfish can eat 1,100 larva daily and survive under extreme drought conditions for several days, a perfect match for dealing with germ and disease carrying mosquitoes.

``We've recently been spraying pesticide in the tanks when larva was found, causing environment pollution. However, the mosquitoes seemed to have grown resistant to pesticides, requiring the use of stronger chemicals,'' Yu said.

``However, by releasing four to six mudfish per square meter of space, we can expect 90 percent extermination. It will also contribute to other environmental issues we face,'' she said.

The office will release more mudfish in the tanks in the region this year and ask for local residents' participation in keeping the fish there.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr

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