Soneva resorts in the Maldives have pulled off the impressive feat of almost completely eliminating the mosquito population of a tropical island without chemical fogging.
“A testament to the success of our mosquito project, I’m incredibly proud that in 2021 we reached a milestone 2.5 years without pesticide fogging at #SonevaFushi, and 1.5 years at #SonevaJani. Our mosquito population has now collapsed by 98%,” Sonu Shivdasani, CEO and co-founder of Soneva, tweeted on Monday (27 December).
Soneva uses chemical-free mosquito traps devised by Dutch scientist Bart Knols using technology developed by a German company. The traps “emit a combination of carbon dioxide and lactic acid, attracting mosquitoes and killing them in an environmentally friendly way,” according to Soneva.
About 500 traps were first set up in the Soneva Fushi resort in Baa atoll – a large island with swathes of jungle – after years of spraying resulted in the island’s mosquitoes becoming highly resistant to insecticides. In addition to the collapse of its mosquito population, Soneva Fushi saw a “profusion of bumblebees, dragonflies and hawkmoths” after the resort stopped spraying with chemical insecticides.
Founded in 1995, the Soneva brand pioneered the barefoot luxury concept in its high-end Maldives properties Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani.
