Research 03 / 05
Mosquito biology.And what a barrier must do.
Why emptying water is not the same as removing eggs, and the four points where a covered base would have to hold.
01Aedes egg biology
Eggs stick to the wall,not the water.
Adult female Aedes mosquitoes lay eggs on inner container walls just above the waterline. The eggs adhere strongly and can survive drying, so emptying water alone is not the same as scrubbing the eggs away.
02Current guidance
Empty and scrub,every other day.
NEA guidance for flowerpot plates relies on repeated emptying and scrubbing. It works when it is done. Our interviews suggest hidden plates are the ones that get missed.
03Proposed barrier logic
Four placesthe barrier must hold.
A dry-looking top surface is not evidence. The barrier has to work at the mesh, the rim, the wick and the overflow. Any one gap defeats the idea.
Concept illustration
- Can an adult mosquito pass the mesh, rim or overflow under real conditions?
- Does a wet wick create a path to the water?
- What happens to eggs already on the reservoir walls?
- How quickly do debris and soil fines block the mesh?
Mosquito exclusion has not been tested. It must not be tested with an open household experiment. Any exclusion test needs a protocol defined or reviewed by a qualified partner in a controlled setting.