Singapore resident kills dozens of mosquitoes in minutes due to Project Wolbachia increasing insect population
With the National Environment Agency (NEA) releasing harmless mosquitoes as part of its Project Wolbachia, several residents faced the problem of not knowing which insects were the dangerous ones.
This led to one man deciding to obliterate every mosquito he saw, then later jokingly apologising to NEA.
Source: Patrick Tay on Facebook
On 13 March this year, NEA announced an expansion to Project Wolbachia to cover 50% of Singapore’s households from April to October.
The project involved releasing male Aedes mosquitoes carrying the eponymous Wolbachia bacterium.
Eggs laid by female mosquitoes that mate with these carriers do not hatch.
While Project Wolbachia results in a spike in mosquito numbers, male mosquitoes do not bite or feed on humans.
Source: Patrick Tay on Facebook
Resident kills 25 mosquitoes in few minutes
On 25 April at around 8am, 45-year-old Benjamin Chiang was at the balcony of his Pek Kio home in Jalan Besar when he began swatting mosquitoes.
In just a few minutes, he had racked up 25 kills.
Source: Benjamin Chiang on Facebook
“Sorry, NEA! I know how much effort went into manufacturing these fellas, but they’re so annoying!” Mr Chiang wrote.
As he couldn’t distinguish male Wolbachia mosquitoes from harmful female mosquitoes, he decided on a strategy of “all must die”.
Mr Chiang estimated that the mosquito population in his area had increased by about 50% following the rollout.
He told MS News that he could go out to his balcony at any time and kill that many mosquitoes in minutes.
However, despite the apparent surge, he said he did not experience more bites than before.
Source: Patrick Tay on Facebook
NEA advises public to ‘swat and kill’ mosquitoes
Online, other residents shared similar experiences, citing frequent buzzing and increased mosquito sightings.
The insects suffered a high fatality rate as a result.
Source: Facebook
Some also noted that NEA had advised it is fine to kill any mosquitoes encountered, even those released under the programme.
Source: Facebook
On Facebook, NEA stated that members of the public should “swat and kill any mosquitoes” they see. They also told residents to close doors and windows on scheduled release days.
While the number of mosquitoes was annoying, Mr Chiang told MS News that what mattered most was evidence. He pointed out that 2025 saw a 70% decrease in dengue cases.
The sharply falling dengue cases made it easier to accept the increased number of mosquitoes.
He added that there had been ample communication about Project Wolbachia even prior to its rollout.
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Featured image adapted from Benjamin Chiang on Facebook and Patrick Tay on Facebook.
