Thermal infrared directs host-seeking behaviour in mosquitoes

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07848-5

by danielvf • 2 years ago

3 1 2 years ago

I believe we are at a point where we know enough to design a highly effective mosquito trap, simple enough and built from relatively cheap off-the-shelf components.

There are some very effective devices out there, but they are priced well above $500. Way too expensive for where they are needed the most.

If designed cleverly and open-sourced, effective trapping devices could be distributed widely enough to make a difference when combined with other methods of population control.

Basically, all you need is an IR source, appropriate light source (see e.g. [1]), human odour, CO2, and a trapping mechanism.

Most of this is cheap and super accessible: Peltier for IR, LEDs for light, self-sourced human odour, and simple computer fan for suction and trapping into a net mounted above it. That’s easy.

The only thing I am not sure how to do best is safe, cheap, portable, and reliable CO2 source.

[1] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.9714#:...

Thermal infrared directs host-seeking behaviour in mosquitoes

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