Mosquito Traps 101

Weapon of Mosquito Destruction

When American rocket scientists proposed the ‘Star Wars’ defense system to knock Soviet missiles from the skies with laser beams, little did they realize that 25 years later scientists would be aiming their lasers at another airborne threat – the mosquito.  The Cold War missile-defense strategy has been reborn according to an article published in the Wall Street Journal (March 14, 2009). Now dubbed WMD, or Weapon of Mosquito Destruction, this time round the scientists’ actual target is malaria.  Transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito, malaria kills between one and three million people worldwide each year according to the World Health Organization (WHO).  The plasmodium parasite that causes malaria has become increasingly drug resistant prompting scientists to look at new ways to combat the killer disease.

Efforts to eradicate malaria had stalled until high-profile philanthropist Bill Gates of Microsoft Corp focused worldwide attention on mosquito-borne diseases, and re-launched the war on Malaria.   Grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are designed to encourage scientists to pursue bold ideas that could lead to breakthroughs, focusing on ways to prevent and treat infectious diseases. 

The laser research, funded by Gates, was commissioned by Intellectual Ventures, a Washington-based company founded by former Microsoft executive, Joseph Myhrvold.   He’d been asked by his former boss Bill Gates to look into new ways of combating malaria.  Myhrvold, together with astrophysicist and ‘Star Wars’ architect, Dr Lowell Wood, came up with the idea of using lasers on mosquitoes.  The laser is designed to detect the audio frequency of beating wings, zero in on the bug and burn it on the spot, according to project lead scientist Dr Jordin Kare.  The lasers, designed to be mounted on lamppost type poles could be put around the circumference of villages to create a kind of ‘fence’ against mosquitoes.   ”We like to think back then we made some contribution to the ending of the Cold War with the Star Wars program,” Dr. Kare says. “Now we’re just trying to make a dent in a war that’s actually gone on a lot longer and claimed a lot more lives,” he told the Wall Street Journal. (March 14, 2009)

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes

Scientists everywhere are experimenting with new ways of putting paid to mosquitoes, with weapons that disrupt the sense of sight, smell and heat mosquitoes use to find their prey.   Read more…

Don’t let Mosquito Trapping ‘Fall’ Away

Mosquitoes, universally regarded as a summertime pest, are also known to thrive in the fall, transmitting a multitude of diseases in the process.  In fact mosquitoes remain active until temperatures drop below 50 degrees; which isn’t until late fall in most regions of the United States. With summer winding down, don’t get caught out. Females lay their eggs every three days in standing water, and a single female mosquito can lay thousands of eggs during her life time. And those eggs can have a ‘shelf life’ of up to a year, before hatching.   So those mosquitoes you leave buzzing around now are producing potential offspring that could be back to bite you come next spring.

Cold temperatures kill adult mosquitoes, including their larvae, however global warming is already having an impact, with the increase and spread of mosquito populations and mosquito-borne diseases being recorded worldwide. Just one bite is all it takes to transmit disease, so ongoing precautions are essential, especially in the fall.

Mosquito traps, when used in conjunction with other sensible mosquito control measures are one of the best ways to keep a yard clear of nuisance mosquitoes. While they won’t permanently eliminate mosquitoes in the area, and no responsible manufacturer should claim otherwise, when set up properly, just one or two mosquito traps can kill thousands of  the little biters, significantly reducing the risk of West Nile virus (WNV) or any other mosquito-borne disease.

Bite Prevention the Best Protection against West Nile Virus

Carried by birds and spread by infected mosquitoes, WNV has killed hundreds of millions of birds and infected more than 29,000 people in the U.S. since the first reported outbreak there in 1999.  Now over halfway through the 2009 West Nile season, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) thus far has reported  82 cases in 20 states and 3 confirmed fatalities.  Unfortunately there’s no vaccine for West Nile virus – although research is currently underway to develop one.  The CDC advises preventing the bite is the best protection.

Eliminate Potential Mosquito Nurseries

Getting rid of breeding sites around the home will help reduce the health risks associated with mosquitoes.  They don’t need much; an inch or two of water that has collected in a child’s toy, a flowerpot, or an old tire. Stagnant pools, birdbaths and fountains are another mosquito favorite.  

Mosquito Traps Kill Thousands

So to minimize your mosquito problem, for this season and the next, devise an effective mosquito control plan using the best available strategies, including mosquito traps.  The effectiveness of mosquito traps does vary from brand to brand and location to location.  Mega-Catch™ traps have been independently and scientifically tested and seem to be far superior to the rest at doing what they claim – effectively attracting and killing mosquitoes.  As an added bonus they also deal to biting midges (no-see-ums) black flies and sand flies, all without the use of insecticides, fogs or sprays.

Like mosquitoes, only female midges bite, taking blood to provide a source of protein for their eggs.  Females typically bite at dawn or dusk, often in dense swarms, and usually in the vicinity of water, marshes or rotting vegetation. Where they bite you will depend on the species. Some species will attack you around the head and eyes, while others attack the ankles, often crawling up the body under clothes.  Small wonder biting midges are often referred to as the Vampires of the insect world. 

They”re also known as  ‘no-see-ums’ in North America, as ‘punkies’ in the Northeast; ‘five-O’s in Florida and Alabama (refers to their 5 pm biting habit), ‘pinyon gnats’ in the Southwest, and ‘moose flies’ in Canada.

Less than 1/8 inch long, biting midges are a swarming species and belong to the insect order Diptera, (two-winged flies) family Ceratopogonidae, genus Culicoides.  Just like their close relative the mosquito, warm weather will bring out the biting midges, or “no-see-ums” as their tiny size has nicknamed them.

In the U.S. biting midges are primarily regarded as a nuisance.  The four most important, in order of their pest ranking, are Culicoides furens, C.mississippiensis, C.hollensis and C.barbosai.  Like other blood feeding Diptera i.e. mosquitoes, Culicoides species are vectors or disease carriers that can cause harm to both humans and animals.  Midge bites are as painful and irritating as any mosquito bites, usually starting as a small red welt or water-filled blister that itches. Once scratched, the welt can break open and bleed, but the itching usually continues.  Allergic or sensitive individuals can develop long-lasting painful and itchy lesions. Bite treatments recommended include topical cortisone creams and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen

When the biting midge snacks on livestock this can result in the transmission of a disease called bluetongue, which is found in cattle and sheep. Many countries that are bluetongue free prohibit the movement of livestock from bluetongue endemic regions.  The annual economic damage in lost trade is in the millions of dollars. 

No Money for Midge Control

No-see-ums are especially troublesome in coastal areas, and particularly abundant around mangrove swamps and salt marshes.  They love Florida.  With its temperate climate and regular rainfall, Florida provides ideal habitat for both mosquitoes and midges, and is home to 47 species of the little biters; only seven of which are significant human pests.  Unfortunately mosquito control districts in Florida are not funded to provide control of biting midges. Read more…