Thorn BioScience LLC is a Lexington based controlled release animal pharmaceutical research and development company. The company develops novel commercial veterinary products for use in reproductive management, therapeutics and vaccines of domestic animals. Mosquito Trap Mosquitoes are in for trouble this summer, thanks to a new trap that effectively attracts and kills mosquitoes and biting flies. Conn. The trap, registered under the trade name Dragonfly, was named for the insect that is a mosquito predator. The trap lures mosquitoes with a blend of carbon dioxide, heat and octenol, the same chemical cues that attract mosquitoes and other biting insects in nature.
Mosquitoes find their human and animal blood meals first by sensing carbon dioxide in breath.
Mosquitoes can sense carbon dioxide up to 100 feet away. They also can find their prey using heat sensors on their antennae. The trap mimics the human or animal blood system, which helps lure mosquitoes to the trap. The difference is that when mosquitoes hone 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 type traps that splatter the insect everywhere into tiny bits.