My Pest News

KOTA KINABALU: Deforestation is believed to help the spread of monkey malaria or P. knowlesi malaria in Sabah, Sarawak and other parts of the South East Asia region.

There is no better way of explaining how deforestation helps in the spread of monkey malaria than a recent front page Daily Express photograph of a troop of monkeys besieging a residential housing estate house in Likas.

The probable destruction of the monkeys' habitat for development or cash crop cultivation like oil palm, caused then to forage for food closer in contact with humans whether in the rural or urban setting. (source of image)

Mosquitoes sucks both monkey and human blood

Mosquitoes do not diffentiate between monkeys and humans, and the malaria parasites are transmitted from the infected blood of the monkeys to humans by the mosquito vectors.

The simian malaria parasite Plasmodium knowlesi is known to cause fatality rate among infected patients unless properly treated.

The other two malaria types with high fatality rates are P. falciparum and P. vivex. "P. malariea almost never causes death and is benign. P. Knowlesi has a mortality rate of up to 3 per cent.

"P. Knowlesi malaria is only one of the diseases attributed to land use changes, who knows what other diseases are there from such activities," said Dr Timothy William, adding that more research and funding are needed to prove scientifically the various links or cause factors to conclusively ascertain comprehensively the true situation as land clearing causes migration of monkeys.

The Monkeybar Project

Dr Timothy William of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, who is also the Malaysian Principal Investigator of the 'Monkeybar' project, found out that 60 per cent of all malaria cases here are that of P. knowlesi.

In short, the 'Monkeybar' project encompasses study and research on the ecological and environment determinants of the zoonotic malaria P. knowlesi in Palawan, the Philippines and Sabah, Malaysia concentrating in the populated Kudat and and Banggi island areas.

It is a multi-disciplinary, integrated research programme to investigate the epidemiology of P. knowlesi.

"Interestingly, Palawan which is just a boat ride away from Kudat, Sabah is known to be free of P. knowlesi malaria," Dr Timothy said, although historically there were some cases there.

Sabah and Palawan is to have more shipping ties, with a cruise tourism venture between Kota Kinabalu and Puerto Princessa.

One known difference is that there is less deforestation on the island of Palawan from satellite imaginary.

This situation was highlighted at the internationally collaborated malaria study programme tagged 'Monkeybar' Stakeholders Meeting and Mid-Project Workshop scheduled from Nov 25 to 28 was launched at the Clinical Auditorium at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Tuesday was well attended by about a hundred doctors, nurses and tertiary institution researchers and some students.

Director of Queen Elizabeth Hospital here, Dr Heric Corray opened the 'Monkeybar' function with the aim of eventually controlling and eradicating malaria and prevent more deaths by the knowledge and research findings that will set the effective policy towards this goal.

It was hoped that a vaccine would soon be available to prevent the more common form of the malaria disease like P. falciparum.

Some experts opined that to control or eradicate monkey malaria, the vaccine should also be applied to the monkeys, but it would be near impossible to do so as the primates could not be made voluntarily to be available for inoculation.

According to Dr Timothy, the monkeys would remain a reservoir of the simian parasite Plasmodium knowlesi, even if a vaccine is available and all humans in the whole country are inoculated.

In Sabah, it was difficult to get accurate data on the number of illegal migrants, what more the number of primates and their locations.

An attendee suggested that pet monkeys should be licensed to control the risk factor. Dr Timothy said that human to human transmission for P. knowlesi malaria is not currently known or proven, but developing a vaccine for P. knowlesi malaria needs more study and is not possible in the near future given the number of infected patients needed for the application.

Some RM15 to 20 million are needed over the five years research period which is an on-going process involving medical clinical, computer IT – drone spatial experts, social science, entomology (mosquitoes), parasitology and primatology (monkeys) experts.

News from Daily Express

Even though, Malaysia have enough knowledge on the cause of dengue and the breeding ground of aedes mosquitoes, it seems that is not enough to make the change their lifestyle.

Thsi is what Health Minester summarize during Q&A session in Dewan Rakyat recently. Read the news below:

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians have great knowledge on the cause of dengue fever but it was not translated into a change for cleaner lifestyle, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.

According to him, the government's effort to curb dengue cases would succeed if it received the support of the people on environmental and household cleanliness.

"Malaysians scored very high at 90% in their knowledge on the cause of dengue fever such as aedes breeding grounds but it did not bring about a change in the practice of a cleaner lifestyle," he said during the question and answer session at Dewan Rakyat here today.

He was replying to a supplementary question by Datuk Ikmal Hisham Abdul Aziz (BN-Tanah Merah) who wanted to know whether the government was prepared to raise fines on those who commit offences of breeding aedes mosquitoes to push the message across.

Dr Subramaniam said the matter had been discussed at ministerial level but fines would only led to preventive measures and was subjected to the judiciary to determine the amount.

"Recently a contractor was fined RM30,000 by the court when his construction site was found breeding aedes mosquitoes and this was the highest fine to date, so the court has the the power to impose a much higher fine," he said.

Currently, the maximum fine for the offence is RM10,000 or two years' jail or both for the first offence and fined RM50,000 or five years' jail or both for repeat offenders.

Replying to the original question by Ikmal Hisham on how serious the dengue menace in the country was, Dr Subramaniam said, as at Sept 20, 74,335 dengue cases with 143 deaths were recorded in the country.

According to him, in 2012, there were 21,900 cases of dengue recorded with 35 deaths while last year the total climbed to 43,340 cases with 92 deaths.

Replying to a question by Dr Tan Seng Giaw (DAP-Kepong) on the effectiveness of the Healthy Community, Empowers the Nation (Kospen) programme in raising the quality of people's health, Dr Subramaniam said the ministry had set up a data base to determine its Key Performance Indicator (KPI).

"The effectiveness will be studied after a suitable period through a number of individuals who offer their services such by volunteers in reducing the number of smokers, non-infectious diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and weight loss.

"All the data will be stored in the data base and studied continuously to check its effectiveness," he said.

He said the ministry was targeting to train 50,000 volunteers under Kospen by the end of 2016 to serve 1.5 million people at grassroot level. Kospen began in July 2013 and it was a new initiative involving public health with 13,496 volunteers trained as at Nov 10. – source

I find this article about leptospirosis and its link to rats very informative. Rats is one of the most problematic pest that everybody are facing especially in town. By knowing what treat this pest can pose to us hopefully can force to do something to control rats. (source of image)

Leptospirosis: The War Against Rats

25th August 2013

A catch-and-kill attitude was encouraged to be adopted and instilled as the only way to exterminate rats in Kota Kinabalu. A holistic approach with cooperation from local governments and NGOs to tackle the rat problem nationwide included gotong-royong, destroying rat burrows and raising awareness of the local population.

8th October 2013

Dirty food courts, restaurants and hypermarkets in a commercial area in Kubang Kerian, Kota Baru were identified as providing a favourable environment for rats to populate. Its close proximity to the Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital was worrying as it was believed that the rats invaded the hospital via underground burrows and sewage pipes linking the two areas.

12th November 2013

Traders in Yong Peng, Johor highlighted poor hygiene and lacking cleanliness as the main cause for the increasing number of rats and other pests. This led to the Yong Peng district council enforcing a long-term pest control programme to stop the breeding of rats, flies and cockroaches.

March 13th 2014

The Kuching City North Commission (DBKU) declared a war on rats by doubling its efforts against these pests. One of the suggested techniques was to spray fendona poison inside rubbish bins and eateries, which would cause instantaneous death of the pests coming into direct contact with it.

May 12th 2014

The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) stepped up its efforts by launching campaigns to raise awareness on dengue and leptospirosis. Rat poison was set and fogging carried out in a certain neighborhood on that particular day.

Leptospirosis or Kencing Tikus

Leptospirosis is commonly known as ‘jangkitan kencing tikus’ or ‘rat-urine disease’. The newspaper excerpts above, are but a few reminders of the effort our local government is putting into exterminating the source of leptospirosis – rats.

While the furry abomination is crucial in the spread of the disease, pinpointing the issue to rats itself is inadequate, as there are other hosts such as livestock as well as domestic and wild animals.

From the life cycle, we can see that Leptospira is the bug that causes leptospirosis. Due to its corkscrewed body shape, it is grouped under the category of bacteria known as spirochetes (slender, spiral).

These bugs gain entry to the body of both humans and animals through:-

Cuts and skin abrasions
Damaged or intact mucous membranes (mouth, nose and eyes)
Waterlogged skin
Inhalation of urine droplets or via contaminated drinking water

Upon gaining entry, they are then spread through the body. While humans are accidental hosts and get ill, the real problem lies with infected animals.

While they often do not become ill, they continue to spread it to other animals and humans who come into contact with their contaminated urine when they partake in activities such as bathing in still water contaminated with rat urine.

Having said that, unhygenic practices as well as dirty and contaminated places are ideal breeding grounds for leptospirosis.

Continue reading and more info by click here

Put styrofoam pellets inside water tanks to control Aedes mosquitoes

IPOH: THE Ipoh City Council will be distributing styrofoam pellets to ratepayers here in a bid to control the spiraling numbers of dengue cases.

State Health Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said the pallets would be distributed to 283,247 houses in the city.

“The pellets will then be put inside water tanks which have been identified as one of the main areas where Aedes mosquitoes breed,” he said.

Dr Mah added that Perak had recorded 14 dengue-related deaths in the 11 months of this year with half of it reported in Kinta Valley.

“We have also reactivated the security action council to counter the problem.”

It was reported last week that dengue-related deaths had increased by 600 per cent from Jan 1 to Nov 27 this year, compared with only two deaths during the same period last year.

A total of 5,294 dengue cases were reported in Perak, with 2,393 cases reported in Kinta district. Dr Mah said, besides water tanks, empty premises and illegal dumpsites had been identified as Aedes mosquitoes’ breeding areas.

“A total of 1,263 illegal dumpsites have been located in Ipoh. Irresponsible parties continue dumping their rubbish in these dumpsites even after they have been cleared by the local council,” he added.

He urged the public to keep their surroundings clean and not to by throw away rubbish indiscriminately. He said 2,434 compounds had been issued to individuals for littering.

“Developers will face court action if Aedes mosquito breeding grounds are found in their construction sites,” he added.

source

Sedih membaca kejadian kanak-kanak yang menjadi mangsa penyakit kencing tikus.

Mangsa yang berumur baru 8 tahun terkena jangkitan penyakit kencing tikus setelah pulang daripada berkelah di sebuah pusat peranginan di Kedah.

Baca laporan dari Astroawani.com di bawah:

ALOR SETAR: Keseronokan lima sekeluarga pulang dari bercuti bertukar menjadi mimpi ngeri apabila anak sulung dalam keluarga tersebut meninggal dunia 11.30 malam tadi setelah positif dijangkiti virus kencing tikus (leptospirosis).

Amirah Maisarah Zir Omar Khan, 8, mengalami demam panas sejak Selasa lalu dan di masukkan ke sebuah hospital swasta sebelum dihantar ke Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah (HSB) Alor Setar setelah keadaannya menjadi semakin serius.

Menurut bapa mangsa, Zir Omar, mereka sekeluarga telah pergi ke kawasan peranginan air terjun di sebuah resort di Yan, Kedah sebaik cuti sekolah bermula pada 27 November lalu.

Di situ terdapat sebuah kolam yang sumber airnya dialirkan daripada air terjun berdekatan dan ketiga-tiga anak Zir Omar bermandi-manda di kolam tersebut sebaik sahaja tiba.

Sementara itu, anak keduanya, Nursyazana, 5, turut disahkan positif kencing tikus dan kini sedang menerima rawatan di HSB.

Anak bongsunya, Zahra Alisya, 2, bernasib baik kerana telah disahkan bebas jangkitan. Jenazah Amirah dikebumikan di Masjid Al-Hidayah, Bukit Pinang, Kepala Batas kira-kira jam 11 pagi tadi.

Elak kencing tikus ketika berkelah

Sekarang nampaknya masalah jangkitan penyakit kencing tikus mula merebak kembali. Kita perlulah berhati-hati terutamanya dalam musim cuti ini kerana banyak aktiviti luar akan dirancang oleh keluarga.

Kalau nak pergi berkelah bukannya tak boleh, tapi pastikan terlebih dahulu kawasan yang hendak kita pergi dari segi keselamatannya. Elok rujuk pihak berkuasa tempatan termasuklah pihak jabatan kesihatan terlebih dahulu.

Jika ibu bapa tidak berhati-hati dalam hal ini, mereka akan mendedahkan anak-anak pada masalah jangkitan penyakit kencing tikus.

Anak-anak tidak nampak betapa bahayanya kawasan mandian di pusat-pusat air terjun. Yang mereka lihat hanyalah keseronokan sahaja.

Moga kita semua berhati-hati dan cuba membenteras masalah jankitan kencing tikus ini terutamanya di sekitar kawasan penempatan kita. Pastikan anda kawal pembiakan tikus di sekeliling tempat tinggal anda dan juga di sekitar tempat kerja anda.

Untuk mendapatkan maklumat berkenaan khidmat kawalan tikus, anda boleh hubungi Izam 012-2067357 . Kami membantu menjaga persekitaran premis perniagaan anda...!

Ada 7 juta tikus di Kuala Lumpur !, kenapa banyak sangat !

Baru-baru ini heboh dalam parlimen dengan dakwaan media di Indonesia bahawa ada sebanyak 7 juta ekor tikus di Kuala Lumpur sahaja. Itu belum lagi ambil kira pusat bandar atau pekan kecil lain di seluruh Malaysia.

Kalau dicampurkan dengan semua jumlah tikus yang ada di semua bandar dan pekan kecil negara kita, mahu rasanya jumlah tikus mencecah ke angka 50 juta ekor lebih. Angka yang pasti kita akan dapat sudah tentu menunjukkan jumlah tikus jauh melebihi jumlah rakyat Malaysia.

Namun begitu, laporan tersebut telah dinafikan oleh Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor selaku Menteri yang bertanggung jawab terhadap hal ehwal Wilayah Persekutuan.

Laporan itu juga ditolak oleh Dr Hayati Abdullah, selaku Ketua Pengarah Kesihatan dan Persekitaran DBKL. Tidak ada bukti saintifik untuk membuktikan kenyataan atau dakwaan media dari Indonesia tersebut.

Tikus di Kuala Lumpur memang banyak

Mungkin tak perlu bertelingkah dengan fakta berapa ekor tikus ada di pusat bandaraya Kuala Lumpur, bukan senang nak buat bancian pulak untuk buktikan jumlahnya.

Tapi semua mesti akui hakikat bahawa jumlah tikus di Kuala Lumpur memang terlalu banyak. Bukan saja di Kuala Lumpur, malah di Shah Alam, Subang Jaya, Pulau Pinang, Butterworth, Kota Bharu, Ipoh, dan semua bandar dan pekan kecil di negara kita.

Kalau ada yang tak setuju dengan fakta ini, mungkin dia tak pernah keluar makan, bersiar di kawasan penempatan, atau kawasan kedai makan dan sebagainya. Sebab itu tak pernah melihat tikus melintas depan mata ketika duduk makan di kedai tepi jalan.

Punca Tikus banyak di Kuala Lumpur

Bila dah diakui bahawa tikus memang ada banyak di Kuala Lumpur dan juga di banyak bandar-bandar lain di Malaysia, maka perlu dikaji kenapa ianya berlaku?

Menurut pihak DBKL, semuanya adalah berpunca daripada sikap rakyat Malaysia itu sendiri. Kita bersikap pengotor, tidak menjaga kebersihan persekitaran. Sikap itu membuatkan makanan tersedia mewah untuk tikus cari makan.

Keadaan sekeliling yang kotor dan tak terurus juga dapat menyediakan tempat tinggal yang selesa untuk tikus berkampung dan seterusnya membiak dengan banyak. Ini semua menjadi faktor penyumbang kepada meningkatnya jumlah tikus di Kuala Lumpur, kalau bukanpun 7 juta, tapi memang ada banyak.

Semua berperanan kurangkan tikus di Kuala Lumpur

Jangan harapkan hanya pihak berkuasa sahaja memainkan peranan dalam usaha mengawal tikus yang melanda Kuala Lumpur, anda juga mesti mainkan peranan itu.

Paling penting sekali jangan buang sampah merata tempat. Pastikan sampah diikat dan di masukkan dalam tong sampah secara sempurna. Jangan main lempar saja bergelimpangan tepi tong sampah.

Jangan biarkan semak bertamah tanpa buat sesuatu bagi menguruskannya. Itu semua boleh menjadi sumber penempatan untuk tikus. Jika terjumpa lubang tempat tikus membiak, masukkan racun tikus dan bunuh mereka.

Atau lebih mudah lagi dapatkan perkhidmatan daripada syarikat pest control berlesen. Gunakan syarikat tersebut untuk membuat pemeriksaan di sekitar premis perniagaan anda.

Kemudian mereka akan memberikan cadangan bagaimana usaha mengawal serang tikus itu dapat dirangka dan seterusnya dilaksanakan dengan cara yang profesional.

Jika organisasi atau syarikat anda perlukan perkhidmatan mengawal masalah tikus, sila hubungi,

En Izam di talian 012-2067357

Dapatkan maklumat lanjut dari beliau dan minta cadangan bagaimana masalah serangan tikus dapat di kawal dengan baik. Walaupun serangan masih di tahap biasa, kawalan secara berterusan perlu dilakukan agar keadaan tidak menjadi parah. (sumber imej)

Apakah rumah tempat anda tinggal berhampiran dengan kawasan tapak pembinaan?

Kalau jawapannya adalah 'Ya!', bererti anda perlu sentiasa berwaspada. Ini kerana kawasan tapak pembinaan banyak mendatangkan masalah kepada pembiakan nyamuk aedes di negara kita sekarang ini.

Jika kontraktor atau developper yang bertanggung jawab dalam projek di kawasan tapak pembinaan itu tidak menguruskan kebersihan di sekelilingnya, maka ia bakal mengundang malapetaka.

Terutamanya memandangkan negara kita sedang mengalami musim hujan. Bila hujan sering turun, kawasan tapak pembinaan yang tidak dijaga dengan baik boleh memberikan peluang nyamuk aedes membiak dengan banyak.

Dua kemungkinan nyamuk aedes membiak

Ada dua kemungkinan yang boleh menyumbang kepada pembiakan nyamuk aedes dengan banyak di sekitar kawasan tapak pembinaan.

Sikap pekerja yang tidak menguruskan kebersihan di tapak pembinaan. Sikap suka membuang sampah merata-rata boleh mengundang padah. Bekas makanan seperti polestrin atau tin dan seumpamanya yang terbuang boleh mejadi bekas takungan air.
Keadaan kawasan tapak pembinaan yang biasanya berlekuk-lekuk tidak rata juga boleh menyumbang kepada pembiakan nyamuk aedes. Hujan yang turun memberikan takungan air sebagai tempat strategik untuk nyamuk bertelur dan seterusnya menambahkan populasi mereka di sekitar kawasan tersebut.

Pastikan kontraktor ambil langkah kawalan

Jika anda merupakan salah seorang kontraktor yang terlibat dalam projek pembanggunan di kawasan tapak pembinaan, anda mestilah menguruskan kawasan tersebut dengan baik.

Dapatkan perkhidmatan mengawal pembiakan nyamuk di sekitar kawasan tapak pembinaan daripada syarikat pest control yang bertauliah. Anda perlu pastikan program di bawah dilaksanakan dengan berkesan.

Melaksanakan aktiviti fogging sekurang-kurangnya setiap 7 ke 10 hari. Ini bagi menghapuskan nyamuk dewasa yang sudah menetas dan bertebaran di sekitar kawasan tersebut.
Laksanakan aktiviti membunuh jentik-jentik. Masukkan abate atau pembunuh jentik-jentik pada kawasan takungan air yang terlindung. Jika anda tidak dapat keringkan atau buang air yang bertakung, masukkan abate. Ini boleh membunuh jentik-jentik daripada menetas menjadi nyamuk.
Buat pemeriksaan kebersihan terutamanya pada kawasan yang sukar dilalui. Pastikan syarikat yang menjalankan kerja-kerja kawalan nyamuk di kawasan pembinaan melakukan pemeriksaan untuk kenal pasti kawasan berpotensi untuk menjadi pusat ternakan nyamuk aedes. Segera buat laporan jika wujudnya kawasan sempit kerana ia berpotensi menjadi pusat longgokan sampah dan bekas keras.

Waspada jika anda tinggal berhampiran tapak pembinaan

Jika kawasan penempatan anda hampir dengan tapak pembinaan, anda perlu berwaspada. Jika anda dapat rasakan pertambahan jumlah nyamuk di sekitar perumahan anda, segera syak keadaan kawasan tapak pembinaan.

Cuba pergi semak keadaan di situ dan lihat samada banyak sampah sarap dibiarkan berterabur terutamanya pada kawasan yang terlindung. Nyamuk aedes suka bertelur pada air takungan yang bersih dan terlindung daripada sinar matahari.

Jika ada kemungkinan kontraktor atau developper tidak menjaga keadaan kawasan tapak binaannya, segera buat laporan pada pihak majlis perbandaran untuk segera membuat pemeriksaan secara mengejut.

Pihak majlis perbandaran ada kuasa untuk memberhentikan kerja di kawasan tapak pembinaan jika didapati tapak tersebut telah menjadi pusat pembiakan nyamuk aedes. Majlis perbandaran boleh mengarahkan developper membersihkan terlebih dahulu persekitrannya sebelum membenarkan kerja-kerja diteruskan semula

Ingat! kita semua perlu mainkan peranan dalam membenteras pembiakan nyamuk aedes di negara kita. Tiada nyamuk aedes, tiada denggi.

GEORGE TOWN: The developer of a high-rise project in Kelawei Road here has been slapped with a two-week stop-work order after mosquitoes were found to be breeding at the construction site.

After fining the developer RM500 for the offence, the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) yesterday gave it a fortnight to comply with all requirements, including removing all present and potential breeding grounds and to come up with specific steps to prevent any recurrence.

MPPP Building Department director Yew Tung Seang said the council and state Health Department conducted inspections following complaints from residents of neighbouring Solok Concordia after two occupants of a house there came down with dengue recently.

Some residents of Solok Concordia met Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari at the house of Poh Yang Heang yesterday to complain about mosquitoes from the construction site. Poh, whose mother and wife came down with dengue, said the residents made numerous complaints to MPPP about the mosquitoes for the past three months, but their complaints fell on deaf ears.

Poh, 34, said there was a surge in the number of mosquitoes in the area when work began on the construction site a year ago. He claimed that foreign workers there threw rubbish and empty cans into a gap barely half a metre wide separating his house and the fenced-up site.

He said the place was almost impossible to be cleaned as no one could enter the narrow path. As a result, Poh said he had to cover his entire house with mosquito netting and bought various types of mosquito repellents, sprays and coils.

“Developers should be responsible for the cleanliness of their sites. They should educate their workers on keeping the surroundings clean as most of these sites are in residential areas,” he said.

A spokesman for the developer said it was surprised there were mosquitoes as its workers carry out a weekly housekeeping, while regular fogging was also conducted.

Meanwhile, state Health Committee chairman Dr Afif Bahardin said Penang recorded 2,558 dengue cases from Jan 1 to Dec 6 this year, compared to 943 cases for the same period last year – an increase of 1,615 cases or 171.26%. He said there were seven fatalities from 35 dengue hotspots this year, compared to five deaths last year. news from The Star Online

This is a good news to get rid of mosquitoes from your house. Now, with new paint technology, you can use ALES Anti-MosQ, the water-based interior paint uses synthetic pyrethroid insecticides to repel them.

Read article below from the star online:

Kansai launches first mosquito repelling paint

PETALING JAYA: Kansai Coatings Malaysia Sdn Bhd has launched a mosquito repelling paint, said to be the first in Asean countries.

Called the ALES Anti-MosQ, the water-based interior paint uses synthetic pyrethroid insecticides to repel them. Kansai Coatings Malaysia Sdn Bhd marketing manager William Chin said the slow-release insecticide could last for two years.

“When all the walls in the house are painted, there will be less landing areas for mosquitoes and they will tend to fly away from the house, thus reducing the amount of mosquitoes,” he said at the launch of the mosquito-repelling paint yesterday.

Chin said in a cone test, 60% of Aedes mosquitoes and 80% of Culex mosquitoes were repelled from the test panels coated with the ALES Anti-MosQ paint.

Culex mosquitoes serve as a vector for diseases such as filariasis and Japanese encephalitis, while Aedes mosquitoes bring about dengue fever and chikungunya fever.

“The new paint offers a luxurious finish and is stain-resistant, and is compliant with Sirim Ecolabel and Singapore Green Label certification,” he added.

Kansai Paint Co Ltd president Hiroshi Ishino said the breakthrough product would put Kansai Paint ahead of its competitors.

He said the company, established in 1918, had grown to be Japan’s largest manufacturer of decorative, automative, industrial, protective and marine coatings.

The Kansai Paint decorative paint segment, in which ALES Anti-MosQ is categorised under, had nearly a 3% market share in Malaysia, he said.

Kes leptospirosis di tahap yang merisaukan

Jangan meredah air bertakung ketika hujan turun. Ini boleh elakkan leptospirosis

Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia melihat kes leptospirosis sedang berada di tahap yang amat merisaukan sekarang ini.

Banyak kes jangkitan Leptospirosis sedang berlaku di negara kita. Terbaru adalah kejadian kanak-kanak berumur 8 tahun meninggal dunia di Kedah setelah demam terkena jangkitan penyakit kencing tikus atau leptospirosisi ini.

Jumlah kes leptospirosis di KL

Berdasarkan rekod, kawasan Titiwangsa dan juga Kepong mencatatkan kes jangkitan Leptospirosis tertinggi berlaku tahun ini. Jumlah mereka yang dilaporkan terkena jangkitan Leptospirosis di Titiwangsa adalah berjumlah seramai 131 orang manakal di Kepong pula adalah berjumlah 87 orang.

Berdasarkan kenyataan daripada Dr Chong Chee Kheong, pengarah kesihatan terhadap kawalan penyakit. Jumlah yang terkena leptospirosis di Kuala Lumpur sahaja sejak Januari 2014 sehingga November 2014 adalah seramai 312 orang.

Pada sepanjnag tahun lepas iaitu 2013, jumlah keseluruhan kes yang dicatitkan di Wilayah Persekutuan adalah seramai 410 orang.

Sebab kemungkinan leptospirosis meningkat

Ada berbagai sebab kenapa kes leptospirosis ini menunjukkan peningkatan yang agak tinggi,

Kesedaran pengamal perubatan dan kesihatan dalam mengenal pasti jangkitan kes pada pesakit. Ini membuatkan jumlahnya bertambah berbanding dahulu yang mungkin sama tetapi tidak ada kesedaran untuk mengenal pasti jangkitan.
Kesedaran itu juga membuatkan pengamal perubatan menyediakan kelengkapan bagi membuat pemeriksaan dan diagnostik terhadap jangkitan leptospirosis.
Kegagalan mengadakan persekitaran yang bersih juga boleh turut sama menyumbang kepada masalah leptospirosis. Banyak kes pengurusan bahan buangan yang gagal berlaku di kawasan bandar sekarang.
Meningkatnya aktiviti riadah di kawasan sungai dan di taman reakreasi juga mungkin menyumbang pada kes jangkitan.

Untuk maklumat lanjut sila baca berita berkenaan isu kes leptospirosis di bawah yang dipetik dari the star online:

Leptospirosis, or rat urine disease, is spread to humans by animals. You can catch leptospirosis by touching soil or water contaminated with the urine of wild animals infected with the leptospira bacteria.

Dr Chong said more than 90% cases of leptospirosis were sporadic and occurred throughout the country. While there were other animals known to be carriers of the leptospira bacteria, he said, mice and rats could be reservoirs of the disease, so rodent control was important.

“Some of the preventive measures that should be taken by the public include choosing clean food premises and refraining from visiting any of the dirty food premises, maintaining cleanliness at home, and ensuring food and recreational premises are free of rodents and other pests.

“Rubbish and food scraps must be discarded properly,” he said in an email interview.

The issue of rodents and the diseases they spread was in the news again recently when an eight-year-old girl died after she was believed to have contracted leptospirosis some two weeks after picnicking with her family at a waterfall in Kedah.

A news report in an Indonesian newspaper claiming Kuala Lumpur had seven million rats was also highlighted in Parliament.

Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor rubbished the report while Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) Health and Environment director Dr Hayati Abdullah had responded by saying the emphasis should not be on the population size, but on ways to control them.

Dr Chong stressed that cleanliness was a major component to reducing the rat population and, by extension, leptospirosis cases.

“We are working closely with the relevant authorities to reduce rat density in populated areas. “Regular and proper garbage disposal, waste management as well as good drainage system are vital measures that should be undertaken by local councils. Cleanliness makes a difference,” he added.

Meanwhile, Jalan Alor Hawkers and Traders Association vice-president Raymond Khue blamed insufficient rubbish bins as a reason for the rodent problem in the area.

“The bins located at the back lanes are small and not adequate for the amount of garbage generated daily. “Often rubbish is strewn around the bins as it spills over from bins that are too full. “Although some shops have taken precautions such as engaging pest control services on weekly or monthly basis, it only drives the rodents to migrate elsewhere so the problem is not stamped out,” he said.

Khue said he hoped the proposed beautifying works by DBKL would help to tackle the issue.

“Scheduled to begin next year, it was proposed that these back lanes would be revamped to allow for better and cleaner waste disposal system,” he said.

Berikut dikongsikan kaedah kawalan tebuan yang saya ambil daripada blog di sini.

Blog tersebut berkongsikan maklumat bagaimana tebuan menjadi salah satu daripada masalah kepada para penternak kelulut di kawasan Hutan Gelam.

Kawasan Hutan Gelam amat sesuai untuk dijalankan usaha penternakan kelulut.

Namun begitu, kawasan Hutan Gelam juga merupakan salah satu kawasan kegemaran Tebuan.

Menurut maklumat dari blog tersebut, kawasan seluas 100 hektar biasanya akan mengandungi sebanyak 10 sarang tebuan yang bersaiz besar.

Maknanya purata satu saran tebuan besar boleh ditemui di dalam kawasan seluas 1 hektar hutan gelam.

Kaedah kawalan tebuan di kawasan ternakan kelulut

Beberapa kaedah biasa diamalkan oleh penternak lebah dan kelulut dalam usaha untuk menghapuskan kehadiran mereka. Kaedah tersebut adalah seperti berikut.

Kaedah Umpan

Mengumpan dengan menggunakan racun serangga dengan dicampur dengan makanan kegemaran tebuan ini seperti ikan.

Kaedahnya ialah merebus satu atau dua kilogram ikan selayang (atau ikan jenis lain yang mempunyai tidak banyak tulang dan berbau hanyir yang kuat) dan dicampur dengan racun dibawah.

Umpan ini hendaklah diletak di kawasan penternakan atau kawasan hutan gelam yang disyaki mempunyai koloni tebuan ini. Makanan beracun ini akan dibawa balik kesarang dan seterusnya dimakan oleh ahli koloni lain. Pada kebiasaannya seluruh koloni akan terhapus.

Kaedah Tangkap lebah pekerja

Menangkap beberapa ekor ibu tebuan dan mencemarkannya dengan racun serangga di bahagian badan dan dilepaskan semula.

Ibu yang telah dicemarkan tadi akan pulang ke sarang masing dan seterusnya mencemarkan sarang-sarang meraka.

Kaedah ini juga boleh menghapuskan keseluruhan koloninya. Pada kebiasaanya ahli koloni yang mati akan dimakan oleh ahli lain dan ini menyebabkan perebakan kesan racun serangga berkenaan.

Kaedah Melastik sarang tebuan dengan kerang

Tebuan ialah ialah serangga yang pembersih dan tidak akan tahan dengan bau kerang yang akan busuk didalam sarang tersebut.

Pada kebiasaanya semua ahli koloni akan meninggalkan sarang dalam masa satu minggu sahaja. Walau bagaimanapun, kaedah ini tidak memusnahkan koloni tersebut.

Sebaliknya koloni tersebut akan lari dan buat sarang dikawasan lain.

Rice farmers in Vietnam helped by 'Rat King'

For rice farmers, rats is their no one enemy. But thanks to Tran Quang Thieu, a man who invented an effective rat trap that works without baits. He is known as Rat King in Vietnam due to his expertise in killing rats. Read it story below:

Vietnam ‘Rat King’ helps rice farmers

Grinning widely, Tran Quang Thieu brandishes the day’s haul: 10 kilos of rats caught in rice paddies near Hanoi.

A menace to Vietnam’s rice crop, the vermin are regularly trapped – and sometimes eaten. In his village of Van Binh, on the outskirts of Hanoi, Thieu and his team work night and day in the area’s rice paddies.

They estimate 20 percent of the annual grain crop is lost to hungry rats. Rice is an essential part of the Vietnamese economy – the communist country is the world’s second largest exporter of the staple grain.

“We used to have to accept the loss of large chunks of our paddies – the rats destroyed it. It made us wonder why we bothered working so hard,” explains 46-year-old farmer Hoang Thi Tuyet.

Rodents can be a determined enemy. “It’s hard to trap them, they’re clever, they move fast and in Vietnam there are 43 different species of rat to contend with,” Thieu says.

But in 1998, Thieu had a breakthrough – he invented a new kind of rat trap, more effective than anything farmers had previously tried, that worked without bait and relied on extremely strong springs.

Thieu estimates his traps – and his unique rat hunting methods – have since killed millions of rats. “The agricultural losses caused by rats are enormous – and these rodents can cause fires and explosions by chewing electric cables in houses and factories,” said the septuagenarian.

At least 500,000 hectares of rice paddy is lost to rats each year, out of some 7.5 million hectares planted across Vietnam, said Nguyen Manh Hung of the Institute of Agricultural Sciences. “Rats cause hundreds of millions of dollars of damage, before we even mention the risk of communicable diseases,” he said.

Rats King is extremely busy man

So it is no surprise that Thieu – who is known as the “Rat King” for the trap that made him a fortune – is an extremely busy man.

“We get requests to come and catch rats from all over the country but we can’t take them all up, we just don’t have the time,” he said.

His five children have all joined the family business and between them they now run six specialised companies to trap rats.

Some 30 million of his special traps have been sold – they are used throughout Vietnam but also further afield in neighbouring China and Cambodia.

And Thieu doesn’t just sell them to rice farmers either: he’s signed contracts to help hospitals, hotels, restaurants and schools to exterminate pests – even the Hanoi police headquarters.

“Once, we trapped some 300 kilos of rats in just one night at a tourist resort in Hanoi,” he said proudly.

Over the last few years, the rat population has exploded in Vietnam due to a decline in the population of their natural predators – snakes and cats.

Both serpents and felines are popular delicacies in Vietnam – a country of some 90 million people – and their widespread consumption, thanks in part to an increasingly affluent middle class, has allowed the rat population to grow unchecked.

For this reason, many local authorities are encouraging people to kill rats. In Thai Binh, just south of Hanoi, authorities are offering farmers cash for rat tails – a means of encouraging them to kill the pests in a simple intervention that protects rice crops without using chemicals.

In addition, rat hunters can also sell their bounty to restaurants. Paddy rats are widely consumed in the communist country, from the Red River Delta in the north to the country’s rice basket, the Mekong Delta, in the south.

Some of the rats captured by Thieu in his traps are sent to restaurants. Others are given to the farmers whose fields they were caught in, who either eat them or use them to feed their pigs or fish.

“For a long time we’ve eaten rat in Vietnam. Especially since the war, that was when people – mostly farmers – started eating them for want of other meat,” Thieu said.

Paddy rats – a healthier grain fed animal than their city cousins – are prepared in a variety of ways nationwide depending on the province, often grilled or steamed with lemongrass.

“Rat meat is very oily, like suckling pig, and very rich in protein,” said Do Van Phong, sitting in a Hanoi restaurant with two large paddy rats on a plate in front of him. The dish is popular in Vietnam but there are no official figures on how many restaurants serve it.

But anecdotal evidence suggests it is widely consumed. State media reports that between three and four tons of paddy rat a day is imported from neighbouring Cambodia for the restaurant trade.

According to Phan Phan, a villager in Dinh Bang district in northern Bac Ninh province, rat meat has become a key part of local culture. “It’s a common dish, it’s good to eat regularly, especially at family occasions – even weddings. People think it helps us to escape bad luck.” - AFP source

A very interesting info about insect behavior that you may want to know. photo source

Please read below article:

PARIS, Dec 24 — European rock ants at a crossroads will most often turn left, a group trait that may boost survival, a study said today.

Many creatures, including humans, show a preference for one side over the other in movement or the senses.

90 per cent of humans, for example, are right-handed, while the European honeybee relies predominantly on its right eye for detecting objects, said the study in the journal Biology Letters of the British Royal Society.

When it comes to behaviour, the common American cockroach has a bias for turning right in a Y-shaped tube, and giant water bugs mainly opt left in underwater T mazes.

In animals with spines, like humans, such asymmetry is thought to be linked to the different specialisation of the two lobes of the brain, and to allow them to carry out two tasks simultaneously.

A team from the universities of Bristol and Oxford decided to test whether European rock ants (Temnothorax albipennis) showed any lateral bias.

In one experiment, scouting ants from eight colonies were observed while exploring a brand new nest.

Groups of scouts turned left in 35 cases after entering the nest, and right in 19. The second test involved a maze with lanes that branched out into two-pronged forks.

From the second fork onwards, the ants opted left more often — 50 times compared with 30 right turns. "No scientific experiment is ever conclusive but we think this is good evidence for a left-turning bias by usual statistical standards," study co-author Edmund Hunt of the University of Bristol told AFP.

And the observed bias was strong enough to be "significant at the population level", the study paper said. The authors theorised that such lateral preference would reduce the predation risk of individuals, resulting in most members of the colony herding together in the same place.

"The ants may be using their left eye to detect predators and their right to navigate," Hunt added.

"Also, their world is maze-like, and consistently turning one way is a very good strategy to search and exit mazes."— AFP - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com

Seremban. Para pelawat yang ingin melawat di mana-mana hutan lipur di Negeri Sembilan dilarang untuk berkhemah terutamanya di sekitar kawasan yang mempunyai air terjun atau kolam.

Larangan ini dibuat bagi mengelakkan orang ramai dari meninggalkan sebarang makanan atau bungkusan makanan yang boleh menarik kehadiran tikus mencari makan di sekitar kawasan tersebut.

Menurut Encik Shamshulkahar Mohd Deli, Pengurusi Pendidikan dan Kesihatan Negeri, larangan ini adalah untuk mencegah dan mengawal penularan penyakit Kencing Tikus atau Leptospirosis yang dibawa oleh tikus.

Seorang lagi kanak-kanak berumur 12 tahun dilaporkan meninggal dunia di Melaka akibat terkena penyakit Leptospirosis.

Umar Abd Qayyum Yassir Arafat dipindahkan daripada Hospital Tampin ke Hospital Besar Melaka hari ahad lalu dan disahkan meninggal dunia ketika sedang menerima rawatan terhadap penyakit Leptospirosis.

Berkelah boleh tapi jangan berkhemah

Walau bagaimanapun, orang ramai dibolehkan untuk berkelah dan mandi manda di kawasan air terjun dan kolam yang selamat.

Asalkan mereka tidak berkhemah dan melakukan aktiviti masak memasak serta tidak mengotorkan kawasan persekitaran.

Orang ramai nampaknya seperti tidak peka dengan kedudukan masalah penyakit kencing tikus dan hubungkaitnya dengan kehadiran tikus.

Salah satu cara terbaik untuk mengawal tikus adalah dengan menjaga kebersihan kawasan persekitaran. Memastikan tidak adanya sebarang akses makanan kepada tikus boleh mengelakkan tikus daripada hadir di kawasan orang ramai.

sumber info

Singapore: Pest control specialists turned up at the hill at Bukit Batok, next to the Bukit Batok MRT station on Thursday to catch rodents after a video showing a rat colony next to the station had gone viral online.

According to a joint statement released by the Housing and Development Board (HDB), the National Environment Agency (NEA), Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) and Jurong Town Council, the rat infestation at the hill is a problem created by the feeding of stray dogs.

The resulting food scraps have attracted rodents and encouraged their infestation, the statement said. The infestation had been “kept under control” due to measures such as fencing to keep stray dogs away from common areas, and notices to remind the public not to feed the stray dogs.

The statement also said the issue resurfaced in recent months due to “continuous indiscriminate feeding of the dogs in the area by feeders,”.

Pest Control Officers at site

Pest control officers were seen anchoring ropes to the side of the hill and climbing up to inspect rat burrows at the top.

“First, we will carry out surveillance and also treat the burrows to eliminate the rats,” said Star Pest Control general manager Bernard Chan to local media, adding that the burrows are spread out across the top of the hill across an area half the size of a football field.

Mr Chan added that this could take three to five days to work, or longer depending on whether the rats take the bait.

Bait containing rat poison is placed outside the burrows. Concerns about the use of rat poison have been raised by some, as dogs have been known to accidentally ingest the poison.

Putting rats baits at the burrows

To this, Mr Chan said: “We have already thought about this before carrying out the procedure. The rat poison is not exposed. We made sure to only put the rodenticide in the burrows, so the poison is underground where all the rats are hiding.

The stray dogs will not be able to eat the poison by accident.” The pest control operation is expected to continue over the next few days, he said.

Apart from placing the rat poison, the 22-man team led by him will also be carrying out a “search and destroy mission” by using nets and other rat-catching equipment during the night where the rats usually come out to look for food.

Media reported that about 15 rats have been caught during the operation, but by-standers at the scene say the total population might be in the hundreds.

Puppies caught at the area

In the operation to catch the rodents in their nests, a few puppies were believed to have been caught by the pest control specialists and handed over to AVA.

Dog feeders were informed of this have been going around to raise funds to have the puppies released. TOC spoke to a resident who lives near the area, who said that the solution should not be just poisons and traps.

“They need to discover where the colonies of rats are and resolve at source.” He noted that the rats have been seeking food outside the slope because of scarcity and have spotted the rats around the walkway behind the NTUC at the station.

He further added that the dogs keep to the hill and do not disturb or harass residents, and any solution to the rat plague should take into consideration the welfare of the dogs.

It is also noted that the food provided by the dog feeders is likely not sufficient to sustain the rat colony of this size. Animals sent to AVA are usually put to sleep within days, some within just one day, if no one claims ownership of them.

Bukit Batok rat infestation: Stage 1 complete

SINGAPORE: The first stage of eradicating the rat infestation at Bukit Batok is complete, according to pest controllers working on the area.

The operation had begun a week ago on Dec 18, and was initially projected to take longer due to rainy weather.

Mr Bernard Chan, manager of Star Pest Control on Wednesday (Dec 24) told Channel NewsAsia the first phase of the operation has concluded with "reasonable results".

He said the rat population is now "under control" as only one camera out of 20 installed in the area has captured photos of rat activity.

Photos of rats were snapped between 7pm to 8pm on Tuesday. The infrared cameras, which were installed in areas of the forest where the rats are most active, takes photographs when movement is detected. At least one stray dog was photographed as well.

Mr Chan added that the team will be moving into phase two of the operation from Thursday afternoon. Pest controllers will monitor areas that did not record rat activity previously to ensure that the rat population does not migrate to other areas, he said.

"There will be 30 monitoring points using cameras or other devices, such as simple monitoring stations with non-poisonous food bait for the rats.

We will deploy that in the evening and in the morning, if there are signs of the food being bitten by the rats, then we will know they are still present." He added that infrared video cameras will be installed in phase two of the exercise.

Phase 2 of the operation is expected to last a fortnight. "After these two weeks of the second phase, we will resume normal maintenance," Mr Chan said.

More rats caught in teh second phase

SINGAPORE: The second phase of operations to eradicate the rat infestation at Bukit Batok started early Thursday (Dec 25) with another 26 rats caught.

So far, more than 230 rats have been caught since the operations to eradicate them started on Dec 18. Pest controllers, who have been monitoring the area, said they had identified six zones with active rat movements.

Four of the zones will be monitored from the nearby blocks, carparks, and the MRT station while the other two will be closely monitored on-site.

Infra-red motion detector cameras with night vision capabilities have already been installed to monitor the movements of rats at night. Pest controllers said it would take another two weeks before the entire exercise ends.

Bedbug epidemics will no longer haunt us if efforts from a group of scientist manage to find what kind of pheromones could be used to lure them before they take to your bed. Read its news below:

End could be in store for bedbug epidemics

A NEW bedbug trap could hit shelves next year thanks to a team of biologists who bared their arms in the name of science, letting let thousands of bed bugs snack on them until they finally found out what combination of pheromones could be used to lure them before they take to your bed.

"This trap will help landlords, tenants, and pest-control professionals determine whether premises have a bedbug problem, so that they can treat it quickly," says study author Gerard Gries, a biology professor at Simon Fraser University.

"It will also be useful for monitoring the treatment's effectiveness." Gries' wife, SFU biologist Regine Gries, who is immune to bedbug bites, continues to allow the bedbugs to feed off her arms as the research team works with Victoria-based Contech Enterprises to develop what will be the first effective and affordable bait-and-switch trap to control the bugs.

"I'm not too thrilled about this," says Mrs. Gries, "but knowing how much this technology will benefit so many people, it's all worth it."

Working in bedbug-infested apartments in metropolitan Vancouver in British Columbia, Gries and his team targeted the common bedbug, Cimex lectularius, once believed to have been eradicated until a ferocious re-colonization hit industrialized countries.

Their first pheromone blend attracted the bedbugs during lab experiments but not in apartments that had become infested, so they teamed up with SFU chemist Robert Britton, who is an expert at synthesizing natural products.

After two years, the team found that the molecule histamine is what attracts bedbugs to human skin and keeps them there due to a composition that sends them a signal of safe haven.

It took five months and 35 experiments for the team to find the next three compounds, which they eventually mixed with histamine and two others from previous research to create the concoction they plan to market.

The paper was published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition and the team expects their product will become commercially available next year. For those who aren't immune like Mrs. Gries, bedbugs cause significant itching and rashes. – AFP Relaxnews

History of mosquito-borne diseases eradication

THE word mosquito is derived from the Latin musca, meaning a fly, and was first coined by the 16th century Portuguese and Spanish explorers in their expeditions to find the New World. As we well know, it is a small fly with potentially a lethal bite.

Last August marked the centenary of the opening of one of the world’s greatest engineering feats – the Panama Canal. In mid-Victorian times, the French engineer De Lesseps designed and opened the Suez Canal.

He later went to engineer a similar sea level canal through the Isthmus of Panama. Fighting against incalculable odds through high temperatures and rainfall, frequent landslides and geological complexities, the construction of his canal was a near-disaster.

His greatest threat was the rapid decline in his workforce between 1881 and 1889 when 20,000 of the canal diggers died of malaria and yellow fever. Another 12,000 people died of the same diseases whilst constructing a parallel railroad to bring in heavy earth-moving machinery.

Fortunately the American President Theodore Roosevelt and his engineer William Taft came to the rescue breaking through the isthmus to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans via a lock-canal system.

It was through the ingenuity of Roosevelt’s chief medical officer US surgeon-general Dr William Borgas, who realised that malaria and yellow fever had first to be eradicated before engineering works could safely proceed.

This was achieved by draining swamplands, ponds, and introducing public water systems, draining household rain butts, fumigating workers’ living quarters and nearby villages and by providing all workers with mosquito nets for their nightly slumbers.

Borgas almost eliminated mosquito breeding areas by pouring oil on stagnant pools and by persuading villagers to fire metal pans containing sulphur or pyrethrum with wood alcohol to allow fumes to emanate.

Today Panama City, nine degrees north of the Equator, is totally free of malaria, dengue and yellow fevers.

Kuching, at two degrees north, has few outbreaks annually of these diseases thanks largely to Borgas’ pioneering preventative measures in 1906.

Even in the 21st century, these tiny, irritating insects lead to 250,000 deaths worldwide each month in countries in half the globe.

DDT frequently used as an eradicating insect spray in the 1950s has now been replaced by pyrethrum and DEET modifications as mosquitoes have developed resistance over time to chemicals.

Whilst medical staff now have the medications to cure malarial and yellow fever patients, it is through the continued research of molecular biologists and geneticists worldwide that the creation of a vaccine seems almost there.

Laying as many as 200 eggs every two weeks and with 3,500 species of mosquito worldwide, humans are certainly outnumbered.

Once on a trail uphill to the lookout post on Sapi Island in the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, offshore from Kota Kinabalu, I disturbed a pack of angry macaques, which decided to chase me into a swarm of female mosquitoes.

The latter avidly attacked my perspiring back until my blood flowed like water. It was a combination of my sweat and the rate of CO2 that I expired in running that attracted them to me.

The Anopheles and Aedes aegypti varieties of mosquito have troubled our world for about 100 million years, with females laying their eggs in relatively still or stagnant water.

These eggs hatch into larvae, which have the capability to breathe air through their snorkel-like extruded tails and thrive on other insects, bacteria and algae in their watery environment.

Eventually, if not digested by fish, most reach the pupa stage with an adult mosquito developing inside.

Already that mosquito may have, through its genes, acquired malarial properties and the hatchlings fly off in search of blood … perhaps yours or mine.

Malarial parasites are thus transmitted to humans in the Anopheles mosquito’s search for food. Bitten by the Aedes aegypti variety – the stripped one – could see us developing yellow fever, dengue fever or Chikungunya – the latter two are viral infections.

Genetic Modification (GM) research into mosquitoes has revealed that breeding vast populations of male mosquitoes holding lethal genes to other mosquitoes is working.

These males fertilise female mosquitoes, thereby producing sterile types of mosquito which are killed in the egg stage of their development. Even with GM engineering the whining noise of these approaching insects cannot be stopped.

Whilst most tropical species of mosquito have a penchant for my blood group, I have three ways of deterring their bites. Smoking my pipe when outdoors and spraying my feet, legs and head with a citric acid-based repellent and wearing long sleeved shirts and trousers at night have, so far, worked.

In jungle and in summer Arctic warfare training, soldiers are still taught to use the peelings and zest emitted from limes, lemons and oranges to rub on exposed flesh. Citric acid seems to do the trick.

On many occasions in Southeast Asia, East Africa and Europe, a mosquito has bitten me and to avoid the stinging and itchy sensation from a bite, later to swell into a bump, I immediately dab the bite with a herbal oil which can be found in any herbalist shop in Borneo.

This miracle solution relieves itchiness, numbs the bite, and subdues the bump within 15 minutes.

Given more governmental financial support worldwide to research into the microbiology and genetics of these killing insects, in the 21st century, we could change the course of history by the total eradication of these mosquito-borne diseases.

Our tasks to eradicate mosquito-borne diseases in our community include:

Not keeping used vehicle tyres containing plants in the garden
Watering plants before darkness prevails
Fixing mosquito nets or mesh inside open windows
Preventing water from collecting in buckets or plastic containers beneath potted plants and turning all buckets or pails upside down after use
Spraying all garden plants regularly with an approved insecticide and any garden ponds with an anti-mosquito repellent

Remember that mosquitoes can only fly for about 2km and usually stay within 200 metres from where they were hatched. Read more theborneopost

Bagaimana buat pemeriksaan anai-anai di rumah anda

Anai-anai ada di mana-mana saja kawasan yang bertanah. Tak kira di mana anda tinggal samada di bandar atau di kampung, anai-anai pasti ada.

Ramai yang beranggapan bahawa oleh kerana kawasan perumahan tempat tinggalnya merupakan bekas kawasan ladang kelapa sawit, maka di situ pasti ada banyak anai-anai. Dan bagi orang yang kawasan tempat tinggalnya adalah bekas lombong, maka tentu tak ada anai-anai.

Anggapan seperti di atas tidak semestinya betul. Anai-anai boleh saja ada di kawasan perumahan yang merupakan bekas kawasan lombong. Dan kadang kala ada rumah yang pangsung tak pernah kena serangan anai-anai walaupun disitu adalah bekas kawasan ladang kelapa sawit.

Semuanya berpunca daripada sifat pergerakan anai-anai yang mencari makan secara rawak. Daripada sifat itu, maka anai-anai boleh saja sampai di mana saja tempat anda tinggal samada kawasan itu tak pernah ada anai-anai sebelum ini atau dah pernah ada.

Apa tanda rumah anda ada anai-anai

Oleh itu, amat penting untuk anda tahu serba sedikit bagaimana nak kesan kehadiran anai-anai di dalam atau luar serta sekitar rumah anda. Dengan sedikit pengetahuan berkenaan teknik mengesan kewujudan anai-anai ini, anda dapat bertindak lebih awal sebelum lebih banyak kerosakan dilakukan oleh anai-anai.

Berikut adalah tanda-tanda yang dapat menunjukkan bahawa ada kehadiran anai-anai di rumah anda:

Kehadiran kelkatu. Samada anda melihat adanya kelkatu ataupun anda terjumpa sayap-sayap yang ditinggalkan oleh kelkatu, itu merupakan tanda bahawa ada aktiviti anai-anai di sekitar kawasan rumah anda. Jika anda rajin, elok cari dari mana datangnya kelkatu tersebut. Kelkatu biasanya keluar daripada koloni anai-anai yang telah melebihi had jumlah populasinya.
Kehadiran tanah lembab. Anai-anai tidak tahan dengan kekeringan dan cahaya. Oleh itu biasanya mereka akan membina lorong kecil yang diperbuat daripada tanah yang lembab. Pilihan utama anai-anai adalah membina lorong di dalam dinding kayu atau batu. Jika tidak ada pilihan, mereka akan keluar dan membina lorong diluar dengan binaan lorong tanah lembab tersebut.
Kayu berubah warna. Jika anda lihat kayu pada dinding atau bumbing atau siling rumah telah berubah warnanya, ia berkemungkinan telah dimakan oleh anai-anai. Ianya lebih ketara jika kayu tersebut telah disapu dengan varnish.
Kayu atau dinding terlopong kosong. Ini satu lagi kesan ketara berlaku pada kayu yang telah dirosakkan oleh anai-anai. Bila diketuk akan keluar bunyi menunjukkan bahawa ada ruang kosng di dalam katu tersebut. Biasanya anai-anai akan makan kayu bahagian dalam dan meninggalkan lapisan nipis sahaja pada bahagian luaran kayu.
Terjumpa anai-anai hidup. Sudah tentu jika anda berjumpa anai-anai hidup, menunjukkan rumah anda sedang diserang oleh anai-anai. Tetapi jika tiada anai-anai hidup ditemui, ia belum tentu bermakna tiada anai-anai di dalam rumah atau primis anda. Anai-anai yang ditemui biasanya bila anda buka tempat sembunyi atau lorong tanah yang dilaluinya. Biasanya anda akan jumpa samada askar atau pekerja.

Demikianlah sedikit sebanyak tanda-tanda yang boleh anda kesan untuk buat pemeriksaan anai-anai di rumah anda tinggal sekarang.

Yang paling utama pastikan anda tahu bagaimana rupa anai-anai dan apa bezanya antara anai-anai dengan semut atau serangga lain.

Pastikan juga anda dapat bezakan antara anai-anai askar dengan anai-anai pekerja. Kedua-dua kasta anai-anai tersebut amat berbeza dari segi rupa terutamanya pada bahagian kepala. Saiz mereka juga amat berbeza.

Untuk buat pemeriksaan anai-anai di rumah, anda perlukan cahaya yang terang untuk dapat melihat kehadiran anai-anai. Ini bermakna anda perlu pergi hampir pada kawasan yang mahu diperiksa.

Oleh itu sila jaga keselamatan diri. Pakailah tangga yang selamat dan jika terpaksa merangkak pada kawasan yang sempit, pastikan keadaannya selamat dan ada orang yang tahu apa yang anda sedang lakukan. Sila bawa lampur suluh yang terang untuk melihat dengan jelas.

Perniagaan pasaraya sebenarnya merupakan satu perniagaan yang amat mencabar. Samada dari segi proses perniagaan itu mahupun dari segi kewangan, merupakan satu cabaran berat untuk diuruskan.

Perniagaan pasaraya boleh dikatakan sebagai satu perniagaan yang mempunyai margin keuntungan yang agak nipis. Jesteru itu pengurusan yang mantap dan penjimatan kos memainkan peranan yang besar dalam memastikan perniagaan pasara mencatatkan keuntungan.

Gambar sekadar hiasan (sumber)

Tidak hairanlah jika menguruskan kerja-kerja pest control di Pasaraya juga adalah satu cabaran yang amat besar. Kos mesti dijimatkan dan dalam masa yang sama pest control perlu dilaksanakan juga.

Oleh itu, pengurusan pest control yang berkesan dengan harga yang amat kompetitif amat penting jika mahu menjalankan aktiviti pest control di pasaraya.

Kenapa perlu lakukan pest control di Pasaraya

Banyak sebab yang penting yang membuatkan pest control adalah satu aktiviti yang mesti dilaksanakakan di mana-mana saja pasaraya samada besar atau kecil. Antaranya adalah:

Untuk memelihara kualiti barangan yang amat banyak keluar masuk dari luar ke dalam pasaraya.
Untuk memelihara kerosakan daripada berlaku terhadap barangan dan seterusnya mengelakkan kerugian.
Untuk memenuhi keperluan yang ditetapkan oleh pihak berkuasa tempatan dari segi kesihatan dan keselamatan pengguna.
Untuk menjaga reputasi pasaraya itu sendiri.

Serangga dan makhluk perosak utama di pasaraya

Apakah masalah utama dari segi serangan serangga dan makhluk perosak yang terdapat di pasaraya?

Berikut diberikan senarai serangga dan makhluk perosak biasa yang sering menimbulkan masalah di mana-mana pasaraya:

Lipas German - Lipas bersaiz kecil yang amat banyak merayap terutamanya di sekitar kawasan yang mempunyai makanan.
Tikus - Tikus adalah salah satu makhluk paling mendatangkan masalah di pasaraya.
Lalat - Pasaraya yang menjual makanan basah terdedah kepada masalah lalat.
Serangga perosak berkaitan barangan makanan di dalam gudang atau stor simpanan ( stored product insect).
Burung - biasanya berlaku di kawasan luar pasaraya.

Amalan penting pest control di pasaraya

Berikut adalah beberapa amalan penting yang mesti dilaksanakan dalam usaha menjalankan kawaan serangga dan makhlk perosak di pasaraya.

Sentiasa laksanakan pemeriksaan pada kawasan menerima barangan dari pembekal di bahagian pasaraya. Buatlah pemeriksaan pada barangan yang diterima untuk pastikan ianya adalah bebas daripada serangan serangga dan makhlk perosak. Pemantauan awal sebegini boleh mengelakkan serangan dari merebak masuk ke dalam pasaraya.
Gunakan kertas bergam (sticky traps) untuk memantau serangan serangga perosak pada kawasan-kawasan utama seperti kedai membuat dan menjual makanan.
Pastikan aktiviti pembersihan sentiasa dipantau. Laporkan segera sebarang kejadian yang boleh menyebabkan kekotoran berlaku. Elakkan sebarang kekotoran dari mana-mana saja bahagian di dalam dan diluar pasaraya. Kebersihan adalah asas dalam pengurusan pest control. Ini dapat menjimatkan kos pest control dan membuatkan urusan kawalan lebih berkesan.

Jika anda perlukan khidmat nasihat dan khidmat pest control di pasaraya anda daripada syarikat pest control yang berlesen dan bertauliah, sila hubungi En Izam di 012-2067 357

Pengurusan yang paling baik dalam aktiviti pest control atau kawalan serangga dan makhluk perosak bagi sekolah adalah dengan menggunakan konsep Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

IPM menekankan usaha bersepadu dalam kawalan serangga dan makhluk perosak dan penggunaan racun mestilah menjadi pilihan paling akhir.

(sumber gambar)

Ada tiga cabaran paling besar dalam pengurusan pest control untuk sekolah ini:

Menguruskan masalah serangga dan makhluk perosak itu sendiri
Menguruskan pelajar agar sentiasa selamat daripada bahan racun perosak.
Menguruskan sikap pelajar. Memandangkan sikap mereka boleh mengundang kepada masalah serangga dan makhluk perosak.

Sudah pasti syarat paling penting dalam pengurusan pest control di persekitran sekolah adalah dengan melimitkan penggunaan racun. Polisi menggunakan bahan racun yang paling rendah tahap toksik dan bahayanya perlu diikuti.

Sebaik-baiknya, penggunaan racun mestilah merupakan pilihan paling akhir dalam segala urusan kawalan serangga dan makhluk perosak di persekitaran sekolah.

Masalah serangga dan makhluk perosak di sekolah

Berikut adalah serangga dan makhluk perosak yang mungkin lebih menonjol di sekitar kawasan sekolah:

Lipas
Tikus
Lebah, tebuan, penyengat dan lain-lain sepertinya
Labah-labah
Lalat
Anai-anai
Kutu

Serangga dan makhluk perosak yang disenaraikan di atas biasanya akan muncul di persekitaran sekolah. Ia melibatkan keselamatan dan juga kesihatan para pelajar. Oleh perlu diberikan perhatian sebaiknya oleh pihak pengurusan pest control di sekolah.

Kawasan masalah utama di sekolah

Berikut pula adalah kawasan yang perlu diberikan perhatian dalam pengurusan pest control di sekolah:

Kantin dan sekitarnya terutamanya kawasan tumpuan ketika waktu rehat.
Kawasan pembuangan sampah
Halaman sekeliling sekolah
Bangunan sekolah itu sendiri terutamanya banguna n pejabat dan juga perpustakaan.

Kawasan yang tersebut di atas mestilah diberikan perhatian dalam sebarang program kawalan serangga dan makhluk perosak di kawasan sekolah.

Secara umumnya, sekolah yang amat peka menjaga kebersihan di persekitarannya sebenarnya telah mengamalkan konsep IPM yang paling asas. Dengan terkawal kebersihan, serangga dan makhluk perosak tidak menjadikan sekitar sekolah sebagai pusat mencari makan dan membiak.

Jika anda memerlukan khidmat nasihat dan khidmat kawalan serangga dan makhluk perosak di premis perniagaan anda, sila hubungi Izam di no 012-2067 357