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Soneva installs CO2 mosquito traps at Parliament

Ahmed Aiham
17 October 2019, MVT 16:22
Soneva's mosquito traps were received by Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed. PHOTO: PARLIAMENT / TWITTER
Ahmed Aiham
17 October 2019, MVT 16:22

Luxury resort brand Soneva on Thursday, installed state of the art carbon dioxide mosquito traps at Parliament.

Soneva gifted five mosquito traps to the Parliament on Thursday, PHOTO: TWITTER

According to a statement released by Soneva, the traps are developed by German company 'Biogents' and pioneered by Dutch scientist Bart Knols in Maldives.

Knols and Soneva’s Integrated Pest Control Manager Akib Jahir, installed five traps in the parliament premises and briefed Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed and other lawmakers on the technology.

The Parliament's maintenance team was trained by Soneva. Knols is scheduled to return on February 2020, to assess the traps.

The traps are an alternative to harmful chemical pesticides and utilises a combination of carbon dioxide and lactic acid to attract and kill mosquitoes. There are two kinds of traps, one to catch feeding mosquitoes and the other which targets mosquitoes ready to lay eggs.

As per Soneva, which recently installed over 490 mosquito traps on its resort 'Soneva Fushi' in Baa Atoll, the traps resulted in a "massive reduction in mosquito numbers" and that biodiversity on the island were improving as a result of the non-intrusive method.

Moreover, Soneva highlighted that "long-term use of insecticides on Kunfunadhoo island (Soneva Fushi) has resulted in mosquitoes that are highly resistant to pyrethroid insecticides".

Soneva noted its intention to explore options for public-private partnerships to develop the system on inhabited islands.

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