Eliminate malaria with ... sugar

Taking advantage of mosquito sugar preferences, one can eliminate this insect and eradicate the malaria they carry in themselves, Israeli scientists announced yesterday.

Yosef Schlein and Gunter Muller from Hebrew University in Jerusalem say they have destroyed almost all populations of mosquitoes from an oasis in southern Israel by spraying a sugar solution mixed with Spinosad pesticides on acacia trees. .

" The mosquitoes attracted by acacia are about 30 times more than other plants, " Schlein explains why they chose this particular tree.

Acacia is also popular in Africa, where malaria has increased due to environmental changes, due to resistance and resistance of mosquitoes to common insecticides.

In areas where there are not many acacia trees, it is possible to spray sugar solution of Spinosad on other types of flowers, the researchers said. According to them, this method is safer than using current chemical and microbicides to cope with mosquitoes, while being cheaper and easier.

Areas with malaria in the world.(Photo: anlis.gov.ar)

T. An