The founder of FBRC Kirill Pavlov visited Pavlodar to find out how the city is carrying out mosquito and midge control. Specialists explained to the journalist the principles of biological insect protection.
A research fellow in biology and natural sciences, and an expert in entomology, Yermek Gabdullin, said that biological preparations based on the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis are used to combat mosquito and midge larvae in river floodplains and water bodies. Treatment is carried out using aircraft, watercraft, and backpack sprayers.
Biopreparations based on Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria, upon entering the insects' bodies, cause damage to the intestinal tract. At the same time, the preparations are safe for aquatic organisms and non-toxic if they enter groundwater or wastewater.
However, it is impossible to destroy all biting flies at the larval stage, as tracking the formation process of the individuals is extremely difficult. Furthermore, completely eradicating the insects is strictly not allowed – this could disrupt the stable ecosystem.
The adult flying forms of the pests are more resistant to Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria. Consequently, pest control operators are forced to include chemical preparations, but only around the city, as an insecticidal barrier. These are sprayed using hot fog generators. This method is called barrier treatment. It creates a kind of obstacle in the path of the insects.
As Gabdullin noted, when using chemical preparations, it is important to adhere to the recommended concentration of solutions. Treatment with a weakly concentrated solution often leads to a temporary, insignificant effect, while excessive concentration can cause significant harm to other fauna and even to people.
Furthermore, the expert emphasised that regularly increasing the dosage and using preparations containing the same substances can lead to insects developing a so-called 'immunity' to them, which reduces the effectiveness of subsequent applications each time.
According to Yermek Gabdullin, the region is ready to use biopreparations that could effectively target winged pests, but the expert is not currently aware of the existence of such preparations.
In materials on the topic of preparations used for protection against leaf-chewing and sap-sucking pests in the regions of Kazakhstan, the editorial board of FBRC previously erroneously assumed that in the Pavlodar region, chemical preparations that are not allowed for sale and use were being employed to combat mosquitoes and midges.
As it turned out, the list of pesticides permitted on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan we referred to was developed for preparations used only in agriculture. Meanwhile, the legality of preparations used in urban environments is established in accordance with the Unified Register of Certificates of State Registration of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
Thus, the preparations used for insect control in the Pavlodar region are not prohibited on the territory of Kazakhstan. They are registered in the Unified Register of the EAEU, and their use is controlled by sanitary and epidemiological requirements approved by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Today, according to specialists, biological insect protection produces significant results. Similar practices exist in other regions. For example, in the Turkestan region, to combat larvae in the Syr Darya River, biological treatment is carried out with the preparation 'Bacticid', which is based on the aforementioned Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria.
Not long ago, Kirill Pavlov published a petition 'Against the Poisoning of People in Cities with Dangerous Drugs', in which he cites research by foreign scientists on the harmful effects of pesticides on living organisms and calls on local authorities to use only biological preparations for disinsection.
The editorial board of FBRC strongly recommends giving preference to safer preparations in the fight against insects, and in the case of using chemical preparations, not to neglect the instructions for their use.