Mosquitoes are vectors for many dangerous diseases such as
Malaria, Dengue,
Yellow Fever, West Nile, and those from
Zika virus etc. Mosquito transmitted diseases occur mostly in tropical, developing countries and create
public health crises due to lack of adequate resources and rapid transmission.
Malaria took 429,000 lives in 2015 and the impending Zika crisis shows the need for effective
mosquito control. Nearly half of the world's
population is at risk of
malaria. Current
mosquito control efforts focus on reducing the
population of mosquitoes. The many
mosquito control strategies such as using tarps to suffocate larvae, insecticides,
genetic engineering, biocontrol using fish etc. have substantial drawbacks. These methods are environmentally hazardous, expensive, inefficient, hard to maintain, bulky, or energy intensive. Mosquitoes
breed in stagnant water. They cannot
breed in agitated water or running water. Thus, this patent describes water agitators that are environmentally safe, efficient, and cost-effective. In this patent, three water agitators prototypes are presented. They are self-sustaining, lightweight, mobile, and have minimal potential for misuse. The agitators consume
solar energy. They are self propelling and do not require maintenance, such as changing parts. They are designed to be inexpensive, reusable, and
mass-producible. These agitators can cover a much larger area of water compared to their size. They target small to large water areas. Agitators are versatile and can be used in flower vases, open rain jars, tire tracks, mining pits, small ponds etc.