Which of the following is a commonly used biological method for mosquito control?

NORCERT 8 Mains-2025

Community Health Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: NORCERT 8 Mains-2025

Explanation

The question asks to identify a biological method for mosquito control.
Biological control involves using living organisms (natural predators, parasites, or pathogens) to suppress a pest population.
Gambusia fish, also known as mosquitofish, are voracious predators of mosquito larvae.
Introducing Gambusia fish into stagnant water bodies like ponds, ditches, and ornamental pools is a widely used, effective, and eco-friendly biological strategy to break the mosquito life cycle at the larval stage.

Option B: While frogs are natural predators of insects, they are not deployed as a specific, large-scale public health intervention for mosquito control. Their diet is too general, and their population is not easily managed for this specific purpose.
Option C: The mosquito larva is the immature, aquatic stage of the mosquito. It is the target of control measures, not the control method itself.
Option D: DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) is a synthetic organochlorine insecticide. It represents a chemical control method, which is a distinct category from biological control.

Visual 1: Photograph - An image of Gambusia affinis (mosquitofish) to help students visually identify this biological control agent.
Visual 2: Diagram - A flowchart illustrating the different categories of mosquito control (Biological, Chemical, Environmental, Genetic) with examples for each, reinforcing the concept.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Biological methods of vector control as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Understanding vector control is vital for community health nurses to prevent outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases like Dengue, Malaria, Chikungunya, and Japanese Encephalitis.
Nurses play a key role in educating communities about integrated vector management, including simple measures like preventing water stagnation and supporting public health initiatives like the use of Gambusia fish.
What if? If a community reports a surge in mosquito-borne fever cases and has many stagnant water bodies, a nurse's first step would be to report to public health authorities, who might then initiate an integrated control strategy including larvicidal measures (like using Gambusia fish or chemical larvicides) and fogging for adult mosquitoes.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key terms in the question: 'biological method' and 'mosquito control'.
Understand that a 'biological method' involves using a living organism to control another.
Evaluate each option based on this definition.
Option A, Gambusia fish, is a living organism used to predate on mosquito larvae.
Option B, Frog, is a living organism but not a 'commonly used method' for this purpose.
Option C, Mosquito larva, is the target of the control, not the method.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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