Some mosquito species transmit microbial organisms that cause deadly diseases: malaria, encephalitis, yellow fever, denghue fever (including the deadly hemoragic form), filariasis and a large range of more rare diseases. Malaria alone affect 100 million a year and kill 1-2 millions yearly, most of them children younger than 5.

Mosquito larvae live in water where they filter out organic particles and bacteria. Two groups of mosquito larvae (Anopheles species responsible first of all for malaria, Culex pipiens/quinquefasciatus responsible for filariasis and several virus diseases, but also the major nuisance mosquitoes in towns worldwide) feed at or just below the water surface.

The bacterium Bacillus sphaericus specifically kills mosquito larvae belonging to the groups given above (for more information on this bacterium, click Bacillus sphaericus). Commercial products existed already when we started working with a new formulation, but these other products consisted of water suspensions of the bacterium and organic left-over from the production process, and thus with a poor ability to be stored in tropic countries without rotting and loss of the useful bacterium.

The bacterium is applied in its resting form, the spore. Once applied in the water, the spores sink as they are heavier than water. That limits the effect time of the product since the mosquitoes eat at the water surface. If the bacteria could stay at the surface, they would be killed by exposure to sunrays.
Our - patented - concept was therefore to develop a product that:

• Contains no water thus more stable in the tropics
• Floats thus remain where the mosquitoes are feeding
• Sustained release thus compensate for the inevitable continuous loss after application
• Consist of food ware ingredients thus applicable by hand making application equipment unnecessary and completely safe since the bacterium itself present no danger to the health.
• Simple to produce thus making laboratories or small companies able to produce themselves and distribute locally