Question

My friend Ashok lives in a prosperous village. The community workers usually use pesticides, like DDT indiscriminately and in higher doses to kill the mosquitoes, inhabiting near the ponds, and in the fields. One day, when Ashok visited his village, his father told him that earlier DDT was very effective in controlling mosquitoes population but now it is not so effective. What reason and remedy would you suggest to the villagers?

Answer 1

The reason why DDT is no longer as effective as before in controlling mosquitoes is due to the development of resistance in mosquito populations. When pesticides like DDT are used indiscriminately and at higher doses, only naturally resistant mosquitoes survive and reproduce. Over time, this leads to a population mostly made up of DDT-resistant mosquitoes, rendering the pesticide ineffective.

The remedy to this problem is to use pesticides judiciously and not indiscriminately. This means avoiding excessive and repeated use of the same pesticide, which promotes resistance. Alternative approaches include integrated pest management, rotating different types of pesticides, and adopting non-chemical control methods to manage mosquito populations effectively.