Taiwan News
Date: 2015-10-05
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Taiwan’s dengue fever epidemic needs a bug fix, the Taipei Zoo said Monday.
As the mosquito-borne disease continues to plague southern Taiwan, the zoo pointed out
Taipei Zoo: bug antidote can combat dengue. Central News Agency
that the water bug was already proven effective against mosquito larvae in parts of Southeast Asia and India.
The Belostomatidae, also known as giant water bug, is typically encountered in freshwater streams and ponds in many parts of the world, and are fierce predators which stalk, capture, and feed on aquatic invertebrates, snails, and crustaceans.
“Studies also found that they feed on mosquito larvae, as proven by researchers in the Philippines,” the zoo said.
Recent studies also found that a water bug can consume 86-99 full grown mosquito larvae per day.
The Belostomatidae are back brooders, which means that the males care for the eggs attached to their backs – laid by the females after mating. [FULL STORY]
