Normally when you turn on the lights in or near the tropical rain-forest soon its teeming with insects fluttering in the light and with geckos lurking on the walls.
Not so here.
I see very few insects in Unawatuna but also in other areas of Sri Lanka, even in a wetland like the Bundala National Park.
In my hotel room, windows and doors are open until late, lights are on in the room, on the terrace and in the staircase, but no insects, nothing, nada although 100 meters away is the forest!
Geckos can be seen occasionally sticking to the wall, but also comparatively few. In my room lives a little baby gecko and I watch him as he seeks prey, in vain. Except for a few tiny ants, there is nothing to get here.
But why so few insects? Sri Lanka always had problems with malaria and dengue. That is why there have been large-scale spraying operations with pesticides since the 1930s. This has successfully fought malaria, but dengue is still widespread. This is why it is still sprayed regularly today. In addition there are certainly many different pesticides used in agriculture that boost the extinction of insects.
There is still a relatively rich variety of insect-eating birds, and also small bats and lizards can be seen sporadically. But I still wonder what the wildlife would be like if not such a large proportion of insects would be eradicated?