This village has been plagued by mosquitoes for years: here’s how they plan to tackle the problem

For years, a mosquito infestation has plagued the village of Halmaal in the municipality of Sint-Truiden. Using mosquito poles from the Hasselt-based startup Mosqisafe and natural predators, the city aims to curb the problem. “The bait mimics human body odor and attracts mosquitoes over an area of 3,000 m² to our system.”

Residents of Halmaal have been complaining for years about a massive mosquito infestation. The cause of the problem is the adjacent floodplains, where water often pools when the summer starts off wet. In short, the ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. “Sitting in the garden is definitely out of the question. There have been years when hundreds of mosquitoes were swarming the windows. You’d almost need a beekeeper’s suit to go feed your chickens,” a newspaper reported last year. “The residents here aren’t making a mountain out of a molehill. The problem is significant and has existed for years,” says Gert Stas (Vooruit), alderman for the Environment and Nature.

Natural attractants

Gilbert Buntinx and Wim Cosemans, the owners of Mosqisafe, also read the newspaper and approached the city council with their mosquito poles. “Our devices—available in various sizes—naturally generate the signals that attract mosquitoes. Think of body odor, sweat, and other scents. Combined with UV lamps, fans, and only natural attractants, mosquitoes are drawn in and trapped. A fan system sucks them up, after which they die from dehydration.”

Tiger mosquito

Halmaal was chosen for a pilot project. Meanwhile, a pole has also been installed in De Schorre in Boom to reduce the mosquito nuisance at Tomorrowland, and discussions are underway with Jessa Hospital in Hasselt. “The devices have already proven their effectiveness in tackling the mosquitoes that spread bluetongue among ruminants,” explain Buntinx and Cosemans.

How much do the devices imported from China cost? “The smallest patio model, which runs on a battery or solar panels, costs 130 euros. We also have intermediate models, leading up to this device, which costs just over 1,900 euros. ‘We are the only ones in Belgium offering such devices,’ they assert.”

Tuition-free education

“We were asked to participate in a study by installing one of their devices here,” says Gert Stas, alderman of Truien. “That way, we killed two birds with one stone: participating in a study—at no cost to us—to control mosquitoes in an ecological way, and offering the residents of Halmaal a solution to their problem.”
The results of the test were satisfactory, with a significant catch. “It was important to see that the system had no bycatch, such as dragonflies or bees. That turned out not to be the case,” explains Stas.

Funding

Nevertheless, the alderman has no intention of financing the purchase with city funds. “It is not our core responsibility as city government to ensure that no one is bothered by mosquitoes anymore. However, we were able to test whether it works effectively through a pilot project. We’ve found that it works well. The neighbors are also enthusiastic and are indeed considering implementing a mosquito pole on a permanent basis and purchasing one together,” says Stas.

In addition, the city government wants to further develop the natural environment to provide a habitat for the mosquito’s natural predators, such as dragonflies and frogs. “The plan is to do this next year for sure, and preferably even this year. De Waterring, the area’s manager, is also enthusiastic about tackling this in these two ways.”

Encouraging

Local resident Basile Moyaerts had the chance to test a patio model and is enthusiastic about it. “So far, so good. I’ve already had to empty the bag of mosquitoes twice. The important thing is that there are no bees in there, just about fifty mosquitoes. We’ve already tried the usual things, like candles and DEET. So far, we haven’t seen a single mosquito, but the real mosquito season is just getting started. The initial results are certainly promising.”