Bratislava Taking Action against Mosquitoes in Devinska Nova Ves

Bratislava, July 31 (TASR) – As part of efforts to monitor and, in particular, eliminate mosquito breeding grounds, an area of some 350,000 square metres in the Bratislava borough of Devinska Nova Ves is being cleared using drones and ground sprayers on Thursday and Friday, Bratislava spokesperson Peter Bubla told TASR on Thursday. "At the moment we are seeing elevated water levels on the Danube River, causing the Morava River to flood the surrounding terrain. As a result, we've also observed large and active mosquito breeding grounds in the flooded area," said Bubla. Since the beginning of this year's season, around 500 actions have been carried out. Instead of using chemical insecticides, which pose health risks by affecting the endocrine system, fertility and possibly causing carcinogenic effects, the city is using selective biological larvicide BTI, which kills only mosquito larvae. When applied at the right time, either manually using backpack sprayers, or from boats, along with the help of drones or a helicopter, 100 percent of the larvae in the breeding ground can be killed. jrg/df/ko