Mosquito and Political Crisis

Mosquito and Political Crisis

Double Crisis.

Falling from frying pan to the fire.

One is unpredictable, "Weather Gods".

The other the predictable "Food Crisis". 

The prices of food would hit the ceiling.

Yes, when crisis hits it comes in multiples.

On top of the Financial Crisis, in matter of 10 days, the Paddy Fields have become Muddy Fields. 

Floods will have devastating effect on our economy.

1. Paddy Fields sawn already, got washed away in matter of hours.

2. Seed Paddy is in short supply.

3. No Buffer Stocks

4. Short supply of Fertilizers for rice (liquid, solid and minerals).

5. It is the Maha Season or the Heavy Season where Buffer Stocks are replenished.

6. Dry season is on the horizon and the stock may diminish further.

7. We might have to use Rapid Cultivars and 3 Paddy seasons instead of the usual two seasons to make up for the losses.

a) We might have to get Japanese Help.

They are the experts on Paddy Cultivation and they have a vast variety of seeds.

b) In addition, we have to go for stunt variety of coconuts with high yields. 

Malaysia would not help us.

We have to invest on Coconut Research.

c) True for Rubber Research,too. 

d) I do not know what is the impact of rain on Tea Industry.

e) Our cinnamon, cardamon and coves won't make up for the loses. 

I won't talk about saffron.

I am not a guy who can talk about agriculture.

Mosquito Menace is my field.

Instead, I would spend my time on mosquitoes.

I have a big Text Book on mosquitoes and for some unknown reason, I have put that topic on the back burner for a very long time.

To begin with our toilets / cesspits are the breeding grounds for all types of mosquitoes. 

Remedy is to keep the commode closed after use and zeal the outlet pipe with a tight rubber band wrapped around to prevent the mosquitoes escaping from the cesspit.

My usual remedy was to breed Guppy Fish in my cement fish tanks and release them periodically, to the small streams and water puddles. 

Guppy fish can survive on adverse circumstances but detergents (poison the gills) used in our washing machines kill them all, in one go.

We spend lot of time on Dengue mosquitoes but there are many other types of mosquitoes in Ceylon. 

I have lost the count and there are so many varieties already breeding.

It used to be the malaria that devastated the dry zone. 

We have manged to eliminate malaria mosquitoes but India (imported malaria) again, may introduce malaria.

Malaria mosquitoes (Anopheles) do not breed above 2500 miles.

Japanese B Encephalitis is dangerous and our pigs are the reservoir.

By the way, the big type of mosquitoes do not carry disease but do cut down on other types of smaller mosquitoes, by eating up their larvae.

There are Culex and Aedis mosquitoes that carry seasonal diseases.

The breading times of larvae are generally speaking of 10 to 14 days.

In the mid 1960 we had a very simple method to overcome this problem.

It is not DDT or Malathion.

The big rains help to wash away the larvae but during the dry season stagnant puddles of water in the dry zone become the synonym of the drought.

The mosquitoes start breeding again on these puddles.

One way to counteract this menace is to open the flood gates (10 to 14 days depending on the types of mosquitoes prevalent in the area) of the rivers.

This flushes out the larvae on the flood planes.

Every 10 to 14 days was our strategy.

This worked very well in mid 1960s.

However, the big mosquitoes which feeds on animals and cattle (not dogs) are a good safeguard to eliminate Culex fatigans and Aedis albopictus larvae.

Without my big book on mosquitoes, I cannot memorize their names.

I left the book in Ceylon.

It is out of print for over  40 years.