The main tank, brimful with ideas. Enjoy them, discuss them, take them. - Of course, this is also the #1 place for new submissions!
By duckout
#8163
Basically the idea of using ultrasound for repelling bugs is not new I sell some small scale versions on my website. They repell pests by generating ultrasound that only the animal you wish to deter can effectively hear and the sound, or the sound is taken to be a warning noise that only that species generates to warn themselves of impending danger.

Now mosquitos carry malaria I believe and Africa are not the only one with this problem. Surely it is posible to generate and broadcast these sounds within urban areas so that the mosquitos are repelled from townships and cities.

Furthermore, surely it could also be posible to attract them to another source of food as they detect and home in on CO2 and the sweat of warm-blooded living things. If that was artificially replicated it would attract some of the bugs and then they could be killed with insectacides.

I don't think any of this is that expensive but I appreciate that the speakers could not be your ordinary Philips or Daewoo type.

You would only reduce the problem and not eradicate malaria completely, but one life is one life.. quite!

Reward: Good PR for you and your company and hopefully me and mine too.
User avatar
By Steve
#8179
CTV wrote:University of Toronto biologist Dr. Gary Sprule says such a move would affect the whole ecosystem.

"The elimination of one or two native species can have cascading effects throughout the whole food web."
By duckout
#8183
Thanks for your comment, but said anything about eliminating anything?

As the insects are just repelled from the area and not killed they are alive and free to seek out other food sources etc so the eco system is unaffected.

Even if they did kill a few mosquitos this would hardly affect the eco-system as their numbers are so great.
User avatar
By Steve
#8184
Sorry, seems like I didn't read your idea closely enough. O:-)

If you're familiar with the small-scale versions, you'll probably be in a better position to decide if this is feasible than anyone else. Take the cost of a small apparatus and the area you can cover with it, and multiply it by the size of a large city (think threedimensional for higher buidings). One will also have to take into account the living habits of both humans and insects, i.e. given the facts that Africa isn't known as the most urban continent, are towns the primary area to catch malaria, or will the hungry mosquitos just sit in swarms outside the city limits and jump on everyone who dares to enter the countryside. :-b How effective is ultrasound *really*? And finally, what does it say on the inside of your small-scale apparatus? Any word that humans shouldn't be exposed to this kind of ultrasound for X hours? :-?
By Rishi
#8188
Steve wrote:Sorry, seems like I didn't read your idea closely enough. O:-)

:-b How effective is ultrasound *really*? And finally, what does it say on the inside of your small-scale apparatus? Any word that humans shouldn't be exposed to this kind of ultrasound for X hours? :-?
That is the nub. How effective is it? How safe is it? I had already mentioned in another post about ongoing studies on the ill effects of cell phone radiation on habitual users. Ultrasound is used in medicine to disintegrate 'stones' in the body. In this case the dose is no doubt low. But what are the effects of continuous exposure?

What is the counterbalance between the repelling effect of the ultra sound versus the attraction of warm blooded, CO2 breathing animals?

It is very difficult to conduct a meaningful R&D into such questions without laying out very large research funds.

Some humans are naturally mosquito repellant. (No data on what else these people repel). If a study can be made on what gene is responsible for it may be possible to get a genetically engineered solution. Mosquitoes can continue dining of tigers and lions in Africa. Anyway there is no record of animals getting malaria.

rishi
OFFSHORE
Finger Wheel Fidget Toy

A three inch wheel with rubber grip on the outside[…]

Makeover of backyard

Nothing to share but I definitely want to see the […]

Sticking Games

No fantasy but real sports. Professional level foo[…]

This must be very useful information. Thank you ve[…]