THERE is a certain buzz missing from the nightlife scene even as numerous outdoor eateries keep springing up - and customers and owners are happy about it.
That 'buzz' is the distinctive whine from the dreaded mosquito which can carry diseases like dengue fever.
Aware that the pesky insect can take a big bite out of their business, outdoor establishments have come up with defensive moves.
For IndoChine Waterfront along the Singapore River, the weapon of choice is the sweet, calming scent of jasmine wafting from lighted incense sticks peeking out from the planters in the alfresco area.
The restaurant-bar's group marketing manager Clementine Roger says the scent helps to ward off mosquitoes "very effectively".
IndoChine, which also runs outlets with alfresco seating in Clarke Quay, Wisma Atria and Holland Village, also relies on weekly fumigation and daily burning of mosquito coils.
Operators of alfresco places say they must play safe even without the recent dengue scare.
Four people have died of dengue fever in Singapore this year so far.
Under National Environment Agency regulations, non-residential premises found breeding mosquitoes are liable to be fined up to $5,000 or the owners could be jailed up to three months, or both, for first-time offenders.
Over in Rochester Park, open-air bar One Rochester takes a high-tech approach. Two 1.2m-high, pillar-like machines (right) whir away silently in the garden as customers sip wine and make merry.
The machines emit a mix of pheromones, which are natural chemical scents, and carbon dioxide, much in the way mammals do. This tricks female mosquitoes into thinking there is a live meal to be had, and they buzz in only to get trapped.
Called Target machines, they are rented from pest control company Rentokil for $200 a month each.
Mr Michel Lu, who owns garden bar Hacienda in Tanglin Village, also takes the scientific route.
He bought two mosquito magnet machines from Swiss services group Diethelm Keller Siber Hegner for $1,999 each for his bar, which seats 150 customers outdoors.
The machines release a chemical that simulates human sweat, drawing mosquitoes that are sucked into a net. The insects die within 24 hours.
Hacienda's neighbours, contemporary restaurant bars Oosh and P.S. Cafe and French restaurant Au Petit Salut, also fumigate regularly.
In addition, P.S. Cafe owns a mosquito magnet machine and Oosh burns mosquito coils.
Au Petit Salut, which opened at leafy Harding Road in Tanglin Village about three months ago, hires a gardener to come in daily to clean its outdoor terrace area.
This is to ensure that stagnant water - where mosquitoes lay eggs - does not remain on plants.
One Tanglin Village tenant that has received complaints from customers is The Wine Company, though a representative says such feedback is "rare".
Its marketing communications executive, Ms Andrea Thum, says a staff meeting on controlling mosquitoes is held every Wednesday. Owner Belinda Lim also personally inspects the premises for potential breeding sites daily.
Sometimes, windy surrounds are a big help in keeping the bugs away. That has been the experience at Hooha Cafe in Pasir Panjang Village, Villa Bali in Gilman Village and Cafe Del Mar on Sentosa.
Hooha and Villa Bali fumigate and burn citronella incense, too, while a Cafe Del Mar representative says it is "not necessary" for the beachside bar to take additional measures.
Its marketing manager, Ms Hannah Teoh, says the management of Sentosa is in charge of fumigating the walkway area behind the bar.
Meanwhile, customers like Ms Vivian Wee say they are not worried. As Ms Wee, 29, a trainer at Reuters who frequents Tanglin Village, says: "I believe if the bars want to carry on their business, they would take the right measures to protect customers."
Mr Gilbert Liu, 32, a legal counsel for an aviation company, says as long as one does not fall ill after being bitten, there is no need to be alarmed.
Still, for him, it's a case of once bitten, twice shy.
"No way," he says when asked if he would return to a place with the wrong type of buzz.
Under National Environment Agency regulations, non-residential premises found breeding mosquitoes are liable to be fined up to $5,000 or the owners could be jailed up to three months, or both, for first-time offenders.
