Attract the dragon to keep mosquitoes away

submitted by Cospicua St Margaret College Boys' Secondary Verdala : Luke Agius  for 15-18
dissemination(s): newspaper, school magazine, website
Proof of dissemination: Click to view
filed under Photos


Neptume Project in Dock 1, Cospicua is an innovative and sustainable project meant to purify waste sewage water to irrigate the green areas of the promenade. However, the pond water used in the phytoremediation process can attract mosquitoes with the risk of spreading the Zika virus. Therefore, attracting dragonflies to the ponds can be a safe and natural way of controlling mosquitoes. Dragonflies might look like scary biters but in fact they can only harm mosquitoes. So planting proper plants in ponds can easily attract adult dragonflies which feed on adult mosquitoes. Dragonflies will also breed their larvae called “nymphs” in the ponds to feed on mosquito larvae. To guarantee this natural process, the ponds must be shallow at one end and deep at the other end respectively with more aquatic plants and flat rocks surrounding them. Dragonfly insects can help us keep the mosquito population in Cospicua under control.