YES! You didn't see wrong! That is a picture of a nasty mozzie! Why mozzie? You thought this blog is all about herbs and stuffs...? Well, why not? If this is about exploring natural solutions to our problems.... :)
Received an email from a childhood friend of mine on the use of copper coins to eliminate mosquito larva. Thanks for sharing Yoke Chun!
Initially I had thought this a good tip to share. On second thought, I decided to do more fact finding (ie goggle-ing) to see if there are any effects that we are unaware of. My rational was, if it kills the larvae of mozzies, it could kill anything too in enough volume and quantity. I did find some not so environmentally friendly facts about copper in the process. As such, I leave it to you, dear readers, to discern for yourself if this works for you. I guess, if one is to to try this, we should keep in mind it's effects on the environment and also potential harm to small animals (pets) and even children. We could do it 'responsibly'? Your call....
Here goes the mail which i received,
"Something useful…..."
"We cannot stop mosquitoes laying eggs in stagnant water e.g. in drains, ponds, water collected in waste pails, tanks, tins, used tyres etc. etc. Of course, if there are fishes inside the tanks/containers then there should not be any problem. Do you know that there is a very simple and economical way to destroy the mosquitoes' eggs thereby not letting them hatch into larvae. Very, very simple. Just put in a few 1 cent copper coins into the tanks/containers to solve all your problems with breeding mosquitoes. Because in accordance to Japanese Research Scientists, they found the mosquitoes eggs will be destroyed by a kind of mineral discharge from the copper."
"DON'T BELIEVE? Try it yourself and even the small snails also will not visit the containers (with copper coins) collected with stagnant water. You will observe that the water collected in the containers will be very clean and clear."
I have seen this being shared in some sites before. But, as i said earlier, my curiosity has the better of me. The following is what i dug up on copper.
The United States Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has some pretty good information on water contamination by copper. Copper is a common mineral found almost anywhere. Our body also require copper but in very minute traces. Naturally too much of anything will bring harm. You can read more at http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water-contamination/copper-contaminants-removal-water.htm.
This site, http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/cu.htm gave a pretty good run down of its effects, quoted here too for your ease of reading,
Effects Long-term exposure to copper can cause irritation of the nose, mouth and eyes and it causes headaches, stomachaches, dizziness, vomiting and diarrhoea. Intentionally high uptakes of copper may cause liver and kidney damage and even death. Whether copper is carcinogenic has not been determined yet. There are scientific articles that indicate a link between long-term exposure to high concentrations of copper and a decline in intelligence with young adolescents. Whether this should be of concern is a topic for further investigation. Industrial exposure to copper fumes, dusts, or mists may result in metal fume fever with atrophic changes in nasal mucous membranes. Chronic copper poisoning results in Wilson’s Disease, characterized by a hepatic cirrhosis, brain damage, demyelination, renal disease, and copper deposition in the cornea. |
The US state of Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resource has some good facts too. You can read more at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/water/dwg/copper.htm#health.
Pretty scary, right? But, fear not! Mosquitoes.org (http://www.mosquitoes.org/fpconst.html) - yes there is a site dedicated to these pest-on-wings - has some good recommendation for 'mosquito prevention' as they called it.
So if I were to try this, i will definitely take great care that the water with copper coins is inaccessible to pets, children and even wild birds who would sometimes stop by for a tete-a-tete in between their hunting or mating ...... I would suggest you be too!
Further note before I end this entry- I realised all households with water heaters do utilise copper pipes in some manner. Does this mean, we have to be careful of water from these pipes too? Well, i don't know. Perhaps any leaching will be in too small a trace to have any effect. But over time?
Hmm.... i wonder who can we turn to for better solutions? I can only say, use with care!
I was wondering if man can transport King Kong to New York, perhaps someone will discover how to tame a mozzie in the future? Mozzies for pets anyone?
Cheers!
Wai
p/s - YC - i hope this entry does not discourage you from sharing future tips. hehehe! I look forward to more from you and all my friends out there! Take care!
