The Vista Mosquito

Context:  We live in a gated community called Adarsh Vista, in Bangalore.  There is a lake nearby and also plenty of vegetation inside the community, providing for positively enjoyable environs for mosquitoes to breed and flourish.  We are experimenting with different things to reduce the mosquito menace and this is the scribe's take on available choices.  Also, the author has recently shed his Management Committee (MC) member position in the Owners' Association, after a year in office.

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I am thrilled to be writing a note after a long time, as a free agent, not fettered by the chain of a position of `immense power and authority'.  Not having to pretend that my statements are going to be interpreted as gospel by an adoring community, completely besotted with its MC members is such a big relief. 

Nobody took me seriously when I was writing all those official-sounding communications on behalf of the MC, going by the most trenchant of critics I have, who happens to be in-house. Believe me, I was the lone committee member to be impressed with the policy and process statements we churned out; my fellow members were wondering which planet I descended from, trying to convert every scratchy statement into a piece of literature! So, I am sure there is absolutely no chance of anyone attaching any vestige of importance to this message, now that I stand here, all authority stripped from me - like a veritable Samson who has just been to the neighbourhood barber.  I am counting on that in making these rather frivolous and gratuitous comments regarding our Common Adversary No.1 these days, The Vista Mosquito (VM)!

Let us consider the pros and cons of fogging vs citronella spray, the two choices we are mulling, in our fight with the VM.

I think the fogging exercise is superior in some very obvious ways.  It is noisier to begin with.  Usually, when the motor is started in your vicinity without the much-needed notice, there is a probability that the weak-kneed, infirm, children and senior citizens get startled. Only after the familiar roar gets going, the smile returns to the lips of the masses, their faces are uncreased and they nod their heads in complete understanding and satisfaction.  The noise itself, which is high in decibel level, should be adequate to scare the Mosquito off our turf.  But the fact is that the typical Vista Mosquito (VM) is fortified with all kinds of vitamins from the nutrients flowing into the adjacent lake, in the form of sewage.  So VM is probably the strongest of the mosquitoes

going around.  To boot, it has heard the same `fogging' noise, without any variation - this speaks volumes of the utter lack of innovation and imagination on the part of the service provider -  for a few years now and if you look carefully enough, you can discern the familar startled-bemused-understanding-satisfied look on its visage also, in that sequence, when the fogging exercise commences. You cannot blame it because during the day time it lives in the lake-area and frequently encounters the noise of jet engines roaring overhead or trains chugging along with all the attendant noises.  So, in short, `fogging' noise has lost its relevance and appeal, as far as VM is concerned.   It has become impervious to that noise part of fogging.  May be, the service provider can be woken up and asked to try a different audio effect.

What is more impressive about fogging is the white smoke it generates from the bazooka-like implement.  I can hear some anti-foggers muttering `that is actually a smoke-screen'.  Be that as it may, no one can dispute the fact that once the fogging is done in a specific area, it resembles a film set, fit for a dream sequence with top-notch stars from yesteryears gracefully gliding through a melodious song!! I am at that stage in life when chances of the tinsel town recognizing my histrionic talents (not that it is a requisite for actors today) are remote and these carefully concealed skills of mine will probably die unsung. So, whenever I go for a walk and the fogging begins, I let my imagination fly and metamorphose into a star with work to do.  This is enjoyment in a different dimension and  I invite the multitudes in Vista to partake of the fun.  Unfortunately, these billows of smoke also fail to deter VM, for the aforesaid reasons - simply stated, familiarity has bred contempt in VM for the smoke too. Looking closely at some of the mosquitos, I get the distinct feeling that they have also figured out the entertainment potential of the daily dose of smoke and are already preening like actors, doing a group dance. 

What about the toxic fumes, one may ask.  Do you hear that collective snigger originating from the congregation of VMs??  Reliable information is that infant mortality rate among VMs, exposed to the lethal fumes is very low at about 0.00025% and such cases are restricted to infants up to the age of one hour.  Beyond that, the infants are taken to a designer-creche in the far corner of the lake, away from Vista and given special nourishment from the lake and rigorous training to withstand to the ordeal of the fumes.  In short order, the fumes dont seem to scare the VMs.

Some very logically inclined residents are questioning the validity of the general objection to fogging on the ground that the fumes are toxic and it is a health hazard.  If the fumes do not affect mosquitos, how toxic can they be for humans, is their forceful argument.  They forget that we humans do not have the same kind of nourishment the VMs get from the lake.  Some sections of the residents might believe we also get similar dosage of nutrients from the tanker water we import, but that is another matter and for another day.

Citronella spray, on the other hand, is akin to a timid new entrant in an area where a bully is running amuck.  It begins with a major disadvantage in that it does not have the support system of noise or smoke to announce its arrival.  So, neither the residents nor the VMs really know whether something is happening.  The audio and visual impact of the fogging guy, like a ghost-buster (may be, he is under the erroneous impression that he is dealing only with ghosts of earlier generations of mosquitos?) holding his gun which spews impressive, white plumes of smoke is definitely unmatched by citronella sprayers who themselves walk around like ghosts!! Unless a resident engages in a short flight into one of the walls or bushes, he cannot make out if citronella has been sprayed.  And if it is very diluted (as our sleuths have indeed found it to be), it makes matters more complicated.  There is no smell and then we all know VMs have a field day, literally.  Now, I think citronella smells nice, but am not able to make out whether it is good or bad.  I wonder what happens if VMs, absolutely fearless and belligerent as they are, find the fragrance alluring and send out invitations far and wide to other communities of mosquitos in Bellandur, Varthur and other lakes to come and join the fun!! 

So, there you are, we are in a dilemma. Using some inside information, I can also vouch for the fact that `fogging' is far, far cheaper than citronella spray. If neither is going to work, I would rather go for the cheaper option.  I am sure you will agree that is indeed very sensible.

Incidentally, there was one night about 10 days back when the residents enjoyed a relatively mosquito-free evening.  I have confirmation that neither fogging nor spraying was done on that evening.  So, what happened, we wonder!!  I guess all the VMs were attending their own Annual General Body meeting on the lake, planning their onslaughts for the next year.  And I believe, the quorum requirement was met about 30 minutes before the meeting was to begin.  Well, you see, the mosquitoes are more disciplined than the community in the way they conduct their affairs!!  What hope do we have??