Fendona repels mosquitoes for four months
Imagine a mosquito-free house for as long as four months! No daily insecticide spray, no nets and no malaria! Mosquitoes just fear the house and avoid it.
By Alice Emasu
Imagine a mosquito-free house for as long as four months! No daily insecticide spray, no nets and no malaria! Mosquitoes just fear the house and avoid it.
There is a chemical that is said to make your house a mosquito no-fly-zone. It is called Fendona. A thick milky liquid, Fendona was initially imported from Kenya to fight tse-tse flies, but several trials have found it to be an effective killer and repellent of harmful and notorious insects like mosquitoes.
Agro–chemists in the country say Fendona has been proven by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a miracle worker in controlling mosquitoes, thus preventing malaria.
Lumanzi Mulangira, a dealer in agro-chemicals in Kampala, says for best results, one should mix a ¼ of a litre of Fendona chemical with 50 litres of water and spray on the walls inside the house. A litre costs sh130,000, but businessmen have made it fairly affordable to an average Uganda by re-packing it in small containers of ¼ litre. 250ml of Fendona costs sh30,000.
Mulangira, who said he uses Fendona at his home, said he does not worry about mosquitoes for between three to six months.
He says he has more customers for Fendona including hotels, schools and hospitals. Mulangira recommends the use of Fendona to drive away mosquitoes, especially in hotels and hospitals.
Dr Michael Okiya, a senior entomologists in the health ministry confirms that Fendona is one of the WHO’s 12 chemicals recommended for house spraying against mosquitoes and other insects.
Unfortunately, not many people are aware of Fendona as lethal in mosquito control. Okiya attributes this to lack of effective advertising by the companies that supply it.
Samuel Kaggwa, a dealer in agro inputs and fumigation services at the Container Village in Kampala, says Fendona does not simply repel, but kills all insects including, cockroaches, bedbugs, fleas, flies and mosquitoes as well as grain storage pests such as moths, weevils and beetles.
“Once an insect comes into contact with Fendona, it cannot survive,†he said. Kaggwa has imported and sold Fendona for the past three years. Initially, his biggest clients were farmers from mostly tse-tse fly-infested districts around the lakes.
But now, Kaggwa says the number of his customers who are not farmers is growing.
The label on Fendona advises that for flying and crawling public health insects and pests, including mosquitoes, apply the spray wash suspension to wet the wall up to just before the point of run off. This will be equivalent to the rate of 1litre per 20 square meters on most surfaces. The lower dosage rate is suitable for flying insects like mosquitoes and as a routine treatment within a long-term.
The higher dosage rate will give extended periods of control as is recommended for an initial treatment and when infestations are severe.
The preferred time of spraying is early morning when every member of the family is outside.
“Make sure that nobody enters the house while you are still spraying. Even after spraying, wait for a minimum of two hours before you enter the house,†Kaggwa warns.
Fendona does not smell, but it has known side effects. Kaggwa says contact with skin causes itching which can last for as long as 24 hours. It can also cause skin irritation.
Ends
Imagine a mosquito-free house for as long as four months! No daily insecticide spray, no nets and no malaria! Mosquitoes just fear the house and avoid it.
There is a chemical that is said to make your house a mosquito no-fly-zone. It is called Fendona. A thick milky liquid, Fendona was initially imported from Kenya to fight tse-tse flies, but several trials have found it to be an effective killer and repellent of harmful and notorious insects like mosquitoes.
Agro–chemists in the country say Fendona has been proven by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a miracle worker in controlling mosquitoes, thus preventing malaria.
Lumanzi Mulangira, a dealer in agro-chemicals in Kampala, says for best results, one should mix a ¼ of a litre of Fendona chemical with 50 litres of water and spray on the walls inside the house. A litre costs sh130,000, but businessmen have made it fairly affordable to an average Uganda by re-packing it in small containers of ¼ litre. 250ml of Fendona costs sh30,000.
Mulangira, who said he uses Fendona at his home, said he does not worry about mosquitoes for between three to six months.
He says he has more customers for Fendona including hotels, schools and hospitals. Mulangira recommends the use of Fendona to drive away mosquitoes, especially in hotels and hospitals.
Dr Michael Okiya, a senior entomologists in the health ministry confirms that Fendona is one of the WHO’s 12 chemicals recommended for house spraying against mosquitoes and other insects.
Unfortunately, not many people are aware of Fendona as lethal in mosquito control. Okiya attributes this to lack of effective advertising by the companies that supply it.
Samuel Kaggwa, a dealer in agro inputs and fumigation services at the Container Village in Kampala, says Fendona does not simply repel, but kills all insects including, cockroaches, bedbugs, fleas, flies and mosquitoes as well as grain storage pests such as moths, weevils and beetles.
“Once an insect comes into contact with Fendona, it cannot survive,†he said. Kaggwa has imported and sold Fendona for the past three years. Initially, his biggest clients were farmers from mostly tse-tse fly-infested districts around the lakes.
But now, Kaggwa says the number of his customers who are not farmers is growing.
The label on Fendona advises that for flying and crawling public health insects and pests, including mosquitoes, apply the spray wash suspension to wet the wall up to just before the point of run off. This will be equivalent to the rate of 1litre per 20 square meters on most surfaces. The lower dosage rate is suitable for flying insects like mosquitoes and as a routine treatment within a long-term.
The higher dosage rate will give extended periods of control as is recommended for an initial treatment and when infestations are severe.
The preferred time of spraying is early morning when every member of the family is outside.
“Make sure that nobody enters the house while you are still spraying. Even after spraying, wait for a minimum of two hours before you enter the house,†Kaggwa warns.
Fendona does not smell, but it has known side effects. Kaggwa says contact with skin causes itching which can last for as long as 24 hours. It can also cause skin irritation.
Ends