Into the Marketplace, ARS Quarterly Report, October - December 1999 Mosquitoes are in trouble, thanks to a new trap that effectively attracts and kills them and biting flies. Registered under the trade name Dragonfly, the trap was named for the mosquito-hunting insect. Mosquitoes find their human and animal blood meals first by sensing carbon dioxide in breath, which they can detect up to 100 feet away.
Mosquitoes also can find their prey by using heat sensors on their antennae.
The trap mimics the human or animal blood system, which helps lure them to the trap. The difference is that when mosquitoes home in on the target and stop to dine, they are killed with an electronic pulse and fall into a removable tray. That's a big advantage over traditional electrical bug-zapping traps that splatter the insect. ARS researchers conducted field studies showing the trap's effectiveness in capturing mosquitoes. The attractants are registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for controlling mosquitoes and other biting insects.