The Most Bizarre Zika Control Method Yet

November 28, 2016

Well, I don't know about you, but when it comes to this whole Zika mess, I am just "tired". And that is a good thing. And no! I have no desire to sleep. Instead I am saying that "tires" can be used to create, an admittedly strange, but reputably effective, method of Zika control. The idea is to collect mosquito eggs along the lining of vehicle tires in order to eventually discard and destroy the eggs. You may think that an insect trap constructed from tires would be an idea that could only come from a group of hillbillies trying to insect-proof their shanty. Well, you would be wrong, this creative bug trap was developed by actual academics and scientific researchers with the hopes that these contraptions could help eliminate the virus. The tire-trap has been named "ovillanta," and it works by placing adhesive strips along the lining of tires. The adhesive strips contain a chemical solution that lures the Aedes egypti mosquito into the tire-stacks. Once the females have left all of their eggs on the sticky strip, the strip is then discarded, and a replacement is used. Experts are hoping that this particular tire-made contraption will be used in more remote and rural areas where window screens and air conditioning are not common household fixtures. If you, or someone that you cared for, was living in an area where mosquitoes were prevalent, would you take the time to construct the tire-made mosquito trap with the hopes that your efforts, and the trap itself, would result in saved lives?