New ultra effective mosquito-only trap

Important results from the project

We aimed to optimize the “lure” mixture based on the natural release rate of each volatile compound. We tested different materials to achieve the best slow release rate. Our main goal was to test the current optimized mixture on mosquitoes that are major disease vectors, without deleterious effects on other insect populations. Our second goal was to include the lure in the trap design which is suitable for the exposed environmental conditions. We designed and tested the durability and use of the trap in the laboratory setting and in the field.

Expected long term effects

We built-up a prototype of mosquito trap and optimized the "lure" mixture. We evaluated the trap performance in the laboratory setting and in the field. We confirmed that our trap prototype effectively attracts mosquitoes in outside environment. However, further optimization of the trap is required to improve the trap safety, durability and efficiency in outside environment. In addition, the effectiveness of the trap should be confirmed under semi-field conditions when the distance and the amount of released mosquitoes are controlled.

Approach and implementation

We optimized the "lure" mixture by performing the series of experiments, including gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, dynamic absorption and behavioral studies. We achieved a good and stable release of the lure. The experiments were conducted using mosquito colonies in the laboratory. The attraction experiments were performed with wind tunnel (160 cm) and provided us the preliminary data on the trap effectiveness radious. In addition, we estimated the time for using the traps in field to achieve the highest efficacy for mosquito attraction.