A trap and body odour to reduce mosquitoes
According to a study published in Lancet, a new type of trap that runs on solar electricity and uses human odour (smell) as bait has reduced the mosquito population by 70% in Kenya.
The three-year study, conducted by scientists from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, along with Kenyan and Swiss scientists, found 30% fewer malaria victims in houses that had traps than in those that did not.
The traps resemble lampshades and hang just outside the house were able to lure Anopheles funestus mosquitoes, the most important malaria vector on Rusinga Island in Lake Victoria, where the test was conducted.
The traps did not attract Anopheles gambiae or Anopheles arabiensis, which are much more important malaria vectors in most of Africa, where more than 4,00,000 children die each year due to malaria.
Even though the traps appeared effective they had drawbacks – they are expensive and they need power from solar panels. Despite this the residents bought them as they could use the trap to power a light bulb or charge a cellphone.
Also, the traps need regular rebaiting with a blend of five chemical constituents of human odour along with a chemical that mimicks carbon dioxide created by breath.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently tested simple bucket traps that caught egg-laying females by using water and hay as bait and sticky paper to kill.
Lookslike, mosquitoes will soon lose the desire to live!
