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Bits against bites Are mosquitoes afraid of mobile ringtones
Many people find mobile ringtones annoying. Just install particularly unpleasant sounds on your handset, and you will see how lonely you can get even in crowded places. Experts recommend using flatulence sounds as ringtones to keep people at a respectful distance. The same principle could also work with mosquitoes instead of humans. At least this is what Korean mobile phone operator SK Telecom claimed. In July, they started offering customers in South Korea a special ringtone to repel the nasty bloodsuckers. The offer looks tempting, if you think of the substances usually rubbed in the skin for keeping mosquitoes off. Mobile users can download the anti-mosquito sounds to their handsets for a one-off fee of Won 3,000, which approximates € 2.24. This looks like a decent price for saving your skin. Male sounds against females How does this wonder work? Only female mosquitoes require a blood meal and bite warm or cold-blooded animals. Acquiring protein through a blood meal is essential for egg production. Male mosquitoes do not bite, but feed on the nectar of flowers or other suitable sugar source. Bloodthirsty female mosquitoes tend to avoid their non-biting male counterparts. So, if a mobile phone emits a noise similar to the buzz of a male mosquito, the biting females should stay clear. The sound should be capable of clearing the insects within a range of one metre. The sound plays constantly and is, if at all, faintly audible to the human ear. This way of repelling the bloodsuckers will use up to 30 percent more of the phone's battery power. SK Telecom claimed it had worked during tests. Market prospects in Korea The anti-mosquito ringtone was developed by Sung In-jae for Dots Mobile, a Korean wireless content provider co-operating with SK Telecom. Mr Sung was confident that at least 90,000, or 1 percent, of SK Telecom's wireless Internet customers would download the service. With 17 million subscribers, SK Telecom is South Korea's largest mobile telephone operator controlling more than 50 percent of the domestic market. Internet services account for nearly 8 percent of SK Telecom's average revenue per subscriber. South Korea is among the world's leading markets for wireless Internet services, with millions of people downloading pictures, video clips, games and music to their handsets. The introduction of innovative features, such as the mosquito-repellent tone, is a reflection of the stiff competition in the sector. Against this background, the question comes up, if this service really works or if it is just a clever marketing trick. The experts are sceptical.
Sceptical experts Lee Won-ja, a mosquito expert at South Korea's National Institute of Health, said the idea was good in principle but she doubted it would work in practice. "There are 54 kinds of mosquito in Korea, and they all make different sounds, so I don't think a mobile phone will prevent people being bitten," she said. Dr. Pierre Guillet, responsible for ‘communicable diseases control, prevention and eradication’ at the World Health Organization in Geneva, shares her doubts. “The production of an anti-mosquito sound by mobile phone may be a great commercial idea, but we have good reasons to be very sceptical about its real efficacy,” he said. There have already been a few devices on the market, which are based on ultrasound emitters to prevent mosquito bites. According to Dr. Guillet, their efficacy has been tested by several well-known institutions like the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine or the US Army Medical Services, but has never been scientifically established so far. In another point the experts are less unanimous. Could the anti-mosquito ringtone have negative health effects on humans? Lee Won-ja thinks it possible that the mosquito-like sound could be audible to humans and prove irritating for them. Dr. Pierre Guillet contradicts: “The frequency of these devices is high enough so that humans do not hear the sound. Similar products are sold to prevent resting of marten or other similar wild animals in house garrets with some apparent success. We are not aware of any study on the potential side effect of such devices on human well-being.” So, at least the mosquito-repellent ringtone does not seem to do any harm. However, you should better stay with the traditional repellents, if you want to protect your skin. It looks as if it would be more effective to smash the little bloodsuckers with your handset than rely on the deterring effect of faked male mosquito sounds. There is only one consolation for tormented mosquito victims: Mostly, both male and female mosquitoes are nectar feeders. Human blood meals are seldom first or second choices – Horses, cattle, smaller mammals and birds are preferred. Further information Please send us your comments on this article. |
