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Billions of Bugs Wiped Out on Dutch Roads

Dutch motorists kill about 133 billion insects a month, splattering bugs on their vehicles and eliminating important members of the food chain, according to a study released last month.

Biologists at Wageningen University in the Netherlands enlisted the help of 250 drivers for a "splash teller" study, Reuters reports. Each motorist had to wipe his or her car license plate clean then tally up the bug body count at the end of their drive.

"(Insects) are by far the richest species groups in all countries, and therefore play an essential role in the food chain," biologist Arnold van Vliet, one of a team working on the project, told Reuters.

"Many birds such as swallows, who hunt for insects, depend on insect density. If insect numbers are low they inevitably face severe problems finding food for their young," he said.

As pest management professionals know, insects are not only important pollinators of commercial and wild plants, but also form a crucial part of the diet of many animals including birds and bats.

The study showed the most dangerous parts of the country for a flying insect are the coastal provinces of Zeeland, Friesland and Groningen — which van Vliet said was possibly a reflection of the fact the human inhabitants are more likely to drive longer distances in these less densely populated areas. He added the scientific study was inspired by a similar project in the United Kingdom, carried out in 2004.   – Source: Reuters

 

Could Smelly Socks Hold the Key to Preventing Malaria Deaths?

Grand Challenges Canada announced last month a grant to support further development of an innovative device to attract and kill mosquitoes that can transmit malaria. Developed by Dr. Fredros Okumu (Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania), the device is placed outside the home and is an outdoor complement to bed nets and sprays.

The scientific team at Ifakara Health Institute says its research shows the most effective way to attract mosquitoes to the device is the odor of smelly socks or similar smelling synthetic bait developed at the Institute. Both the socks and the bait are highly effective and attract four times more mosquitoes than humans, the Institute says. Once the mosquitoes are in the device, they are trapped or poisoned and left to die.

"Each year, there are almost 250 million new cases of malaria; almost 800,000 people die and most of those deaths are children," says Dr. Peter A. Singer, chief executive officer of Grand Challenges Canada. "This local Tanzanian innovation could contribute significantly to accelerating the elimination of malaria and save lives."

"Through a lifetime of hard lessons, I know that discovery is not enough," said Joseph L. Rotman, the philanthropist and businessman who chairs Grand Challenges Canada's Board of Directors. "Discoveries also need to be implemented in the real world through business and social innovation."