Freaky Kosu (Mosquitoes) in Chennai

I decided to write a blog about mosquito menace in Chennai coz it has been haunting the daily routine of people in Chennai stealing their blissful sleep. Mosquitoes breed mostly during rainy season and they multiply during winter.

Mosquitoes in Chennai (from my personal experience. Ofcourse there are mosquitoes in other places too. I can write about the place where I live now)

1. They are generally small sized compared to mosquitoes in other stations.

2. They never give you the sense of drawing blood from your body (This is the best part of mosquitoes in Chennai) But once you notice, your skin will develop red patches and you start scratching all over. As time goes by it leaves horrible marks in your skin that you gotto personally visit shenaz hussain’s beauty clinic to correct it. Sometimes it can lead to serious skin complications depending upon the sensitivity of your skin. (I am suffering and am taking medication for last one year). Prior to sucking the blood, they inject a mild painkiller, which numbs the host to the pain from the "bite" (Note: mosquitos do not actually bite but still we say kosu kadi (mosquito bite)).

3. They don’t have time, place. Mosquito menace is very high when you have lots of trees and greenery around place. Menace is on its peak when you happen to stay near a park (there are few kadhal jodis (lovers) who come to the parks in the evenings and have good time despite the trouble they undergo by the mosquito. They develop resistance to bites I believe.), a canal or a water tank. As far as i know, other station mosquitoes dread to come out during the day time. They launch their army only at particular time. i.e morning 6am to 8am and evening 6pm to 8 pm. If you keep the doors and windows closed at that time, then you can avoid the kosu kadi to some extend.

4. They are not biased and true to themselves (unlike us). Present in thatched houses to big bungalows. It knows no Gopalapuram or Poes garden. It knows no Royapuram or Avadi. Its presence is available everywhere. It bites a CEO (just because he uses powerful mosquito repellent, he is not spared) and also the same mosquito can travel to bite a fisherman.

5. They are very brilliant because when we generally keep our windows open during day time, the army enters and occupies small crevices, curtains, and hide in restrooms and also under bed sheets. They launch their army in the night with full swing that you will not be able to completely arrest them or bring them under your control. U will have to sacrifice your sleep for sometime to completely curtail it.

6. Mosquito repellents are few chemical substances that were once upon a time used to drive away mosquitoes. Now our modern mosquitoes are immune to these repellents. You can compare it with hacking. How much ever security measure you take and whatever modern technology you use, they might remain uncracked for sometime. There will be atleast one hacker in the end to hack the entire stuff. Similar is the case with the mosquitoes. You keep changing the chemical ingredients, first few days they are a big hit in the market. But the mosquito association develops resistance after some days. That is it your repellents are of no use.

7. I was first using the conventional mat system repellent. Fair amount of kosu were driven out. Then came the era of liquid repellents. Later came repellent with suffixes like turbo, jet, power shot, silver etc etc. Nothing worked for more than 3 months. You have lotions, creams and gels as repellents. Mosquitoes have started feeding on these lotions and you experience more bites when you use those creams these days. Hmmm nothing seems to work out. Sometimes the mosquitoes sit on the repellent itself (shown a black and white pic).

8. One way to drive out mosquito is to burn the mats, run behind the mosquito cluster and show the fumes. Elimination is more in this method. But it can be harmful to you as well because, it can prevent the growth of your next generation (More harm to men).

9. Our corporation occasionally brings this “KOSU MARUNTHU” van and sprays the repellent across the streets with a good intention of killing mosquitoes. You might notice that the menace is on its peak that particular day because, kosu in order to save its life makes our home a refugee camp and in the nite sneaks out to drink all our blood to become more energetic. They make this mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm sound then to irritate you like anything.

10. KOSU VALAI (Mosquito Net), this is one of the oldest, innovative inventions to keep away from kosu. Children generally like them a lot. So they play “akka - thangachi, appa - Amma, police - thirudan” inside the net. Since they frequently open the nets, some villainous mosquitoes take this opportunity as a golden opportunity to enter the net. The person who sleeps in the net thinks that he/she is protected the best. Ultimate fate is they become worst victims. The kosu devours the prey.

11. PAATI VAITHIYAM (Grandma’s methodologies) – Olden days they used to burn lots of dry neem leaves that helps to prevent mosquitoes. But who has time for all that nowadays?? My granny asked me to use neem oil. She asked me to apply it on my hands and legs. I noticed that barring mosquitoes, all avoided me (neem oil na enna gappu??? Badddd smelllll). Mosquitoes developed immunity to neem oil as well. Accepting the request of ppl around me and seeing their welfare I stopped using neem oil.

12. Last but not the least, Best way to drive out mosquito is the Electronic Racket that is available in the market ranging from Rs.150 to 250. They have rechargeable batteries so no worries. All you have to do is to Close doors and windows and start hitting all the mosquitoes with the racket (don’t forget to press the side switch; otherwise your efforts go vain). There will be “putputu” sound accompanied by a spark. The intensity of both depends upon how healthy the kosu is. If the kosu is very healthy (gundu kosu/obese), then the sound and spark is intense. It is mild when it is a olli kosu (malnutrious kosu). This is a nice time pass for people who definetly have nothing to do at home. Search for kosu in curtains and also in bedsheets, places where there are lots of junk. This gives a good relief.

13. However, in the nite there are 2 – 3 mosquitoes that escapes out of your eyes and hides itself under dressing table, cots and furnitures. They sneak out in the nite. They bite your face, temple and forhead of yours because you generally don’t cover your face with bedsheets. Morning you wake up to see small spots on your forehead and face. Ultimate result, you have lost the war. Kosu has won.