Mosquitoes.
The good news, there are some devices that promise to keep them at bay, and one that’s about to hit the market is designed to be unlike any other.
“There’s no product on the market like it,” said University of Florida Entomology and Nematology endowed professor Dr. Philip Koehler.
Koehler has worked with mosquitoes for more than 50 years and has dozens of patents to his name. His resume prompted the U.S. military to contact him and his team to create a device to keep mosquitoes away while troops are overseas.
“We wanted something that even a Marine couldn’t break when they’re out in these rural places,” said Koehler.
Unlike most devices on the market the Inzecto does not give off any chemicals, instead, it uses new technology to attract and trap the mosquitoes simply by filling it with water.
“The idea would be to put this in a shady area, usually in a place where mosquitoes are resting,” explained Koehler.
Then wait for the mosquitoes to land in the device. The mosquitoes are attracted to the colors, which are red and black. Once the bugs enter, they are met with a tea bag pouch holding a chemical lethal to bugs. While the devices are not available in major name brand stores yet, Koehler gave me one to try.
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I took the device, filled it with water and let it sit outside in my backyard for two weeks. Then I sat outside and waited for the bugs (hopefully not) to bite. And while I got bit a few times, overall, it was far fewer than what I usually encounter in my backyard. I dumped out the water and was surprised, and a little grossed out, by all the larvae it captured.
You could see the dead larvae at the bottom of the bowl, while others swam around. The good news for troops and potential customers:
“They die as a point of contact, or they lay their eggs and their larvae die as a result,” Koehler said.
The Inzecto trap is licensed for sale in the United States only to kill larvae, not adult mosquitoes. It recently went on sale online for under $30.