Residents use innovative products to combat mosquitoes as diseases go up

Pune: With increase in dengue cases in city, residents are adopting innovative methods to combat mosquito menace.
While some are lighting citronella-infused incense sticks around the house, others are installing mosquito-repellent liquid dispenser machines.
Priyanka Ramnani, a resident of Baner, said that many cases of dengue have been reported from her housing society.
“We are doing everything possible to protect ourselves from mosquitos. We have put insect killer lamps just outside the house and even near the windows,” Ramnani told TOI.
While residents are taking basic precautions like applying mosquito repellent ointments, patches and sprays, there are many new innovations in the market aimed at safeguarding residents. Prasad Phadke, founder & CEO, Eco BioTrap, said that they are seeing unprecedented demand for their products now.
“Demand has grown 15x in the last few months and even institutions like schools, hospitals and hotels are installing their products on their premises,” he said.
The biodegradable product is designed to break the chain of mosquito breeding.
Some residents are also using products like AutoMos machine, which is a battery-operated mosquito repellent.
“It doesn’t emit a strong smell like the coils and can be moved around from one room to another. The refill lasts for at least two months or so,” Nazneen Sheikh, a resident of Kondhwa, said.
“The mosquito repellent market has three categories – liquid vaporisers, coils and aerosols. Liquid vaporisers are dominating the market right now. But there is a lot of innovation that is coming in. It becomes highly effective when you deliver active ingredient in the right manner,” A Mahendran, chairman of Ross LifeScience, told TOI.
Other effective mosquito combat mechanisms used by residents include incense cones, electric swatters, citronella-infused incense sticks and roll-ons.
“My husband recently purchased a device which emits a certain frequency to ward off mosquitos. It is effective within a certain radius,” Gargi Jagtap, a resident of Kondhwa, said.