A Comparative Study on the Cost- Effectiveness of a Homemade Mixture and Ultraviolet Light in Luring Mosquitoes

A comparative study between two different stationary mosquito attractants, particularly between a homemade mixture and an ultraviolet (UV) light, was conducted. Other existing attractants and subjects were not considered in this study. The purpose of this study is to prove the cost-effectiveness of the homemade mixture as compared to the UV light, where results may be used in depressed areas in order to help reduce the population of mosquitoes, thus, reducing as well the probability of people, particularly children, being infected with mosquito-borne diseases. The effectiveness of both products along with other factors such as cost, environmental impact and life span were evaluated in this study through cost-benefit analysis and experimentation, where both attractants were exposed to a population of Aedesaegypti mosquitoes which resulted to statistical data analyzed through the use of t-test analysis. The researchers obtained a p-value of 0.0005 which is less than the value of the significance level (α) at 0.05, indicating that the homemade mixture is more effective. In terms of cost-efficiency, the total benefit- cost difference of the homemade mixture and UV light computed were ₱ 1388.29 and ₱ 920.24, respectively. This proved that the homemade mixture is more effective, thus, better than the UV light.

Keywords –dengue, Aedesaegypti, homemade mixture, carbon dioxide, and ultraviolet light