Disclosed is the use of a viscosity booster for the control or local eradication of insects which lay their eggs in water, in particular for the control of populations of insects which lay their eggs in stagnant waters. The present invention is targeted at reducing the spread of insect-borne diseases, in particular mosquito-borne diseases, which may be transmitted by insects infected by pathogens such as viruses, parasites or bacteria. Notorious examples of such diseases and pathogens are yellow fever, dengue fever, filariasis, malaria, the west-Nile virus and the Zika virus.
