Repelling mosquitoes using ultrasound ? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Refrigerator
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2014, 10:14:13 am
content: Hello.Quite a few days ago i was playing around with Joule thief circuits and finally made one small, stable and efficient, so of course i went to test how long will it go for.My house is surrounded by ponds and a few rivers nearby and there's always mosquitoes buzzing around at night, sucking blood,but after two days of running the joule thief all of them were completely gone.Then this idea came to my head that it might be because of the ultrasound that the joule thief is emitting, just like those wall-adapter things that you can buy that allegedly spread ultrasound through your entire house via the electrical system and such.What are your thoughts about this ? Would that wall-adapter thingy work ?I think it might, although it requires some further investigation.

author: kg4arn
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 26, 2014, 01:15:32 pm
content: Near and dear to my heart since where I live was originally named "Mosquito County."But the American Mosquito Control Association says ultrasound doesn't work when studied:"Do Ultrasonic devices work?At least 10 studies in the past 15 years have unanimously denounced ultrasonic devices.....http://www.mosquito.org/faqMaybe ultrasound wasn't modulated properly to work in the studies?

author: Prime73
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2014, 01:30:20 pm
content: Quote from: Refrigerator on July 26, 2014, 10:14:13 amWould be interesting to see the schematics, pics, etc if you don't mind.

author: Dago
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2014, 05:21:49 pm
content: Quote from: Refrigerator on July 26, 2014, 10:14:13 amDid it happen to be windy that night?

author: Refrigerator
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2014, 05:52:52 pm
content: Quote from: Dago on July 26, 2014, 05:21:49 pmNope, at night there's no wind at all.It's funny because i went to my backyard last evening and got myself zapped by those little blood suckers, but there aren't any in the house and the window is facing the same direction and it's wide open at all times. ( hot summer over here )

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2014, 06:22:44 pm
content: Wait, people buy things to purposefully create noise on their power circuits? Why?

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2014, 06:34:00 pm
content: Quote from: XOIIO on July 26, 2014, 06:22:44 pmIn my case to have internet in the back of my house via a power adaptor

author: xchip
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2014, 09:15:02 am
content: In 2005, the British consumer magazine Holiday Which? tested a range of mosquito deterrents. The four appliances that used a buzzer were described by the magazine's editor Lorna Cowan as "a shocking waste of money" which "should be removed from sale". (http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20669080)

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2014, 09:24:44 am
content: I find citronella oil works well when used in a vapouriser. The Glade timed sprayer with citronella oil works well as well. Just do not do the designed in use fast and turn it on, but read the instructions and realise the switch has 4 positions, off, 30 mins, 15 mins and 9 mins. Most turn it on and the far position of the tiny switch is 9 mins, so you use a can a week. I use the 30 min setting, and it lasts 3 months. Interesting little board with a small COB, a single transistor and the power switch along with a led and nothing else. All powered from 3V.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2014, 02:59:42 pm
content: Two approaches that are popular as of late:1) use an ultra violet bulb to attract the mosquitoes and a fan to suck them in and dry them to death;2) use an ultra violet bulb, reflecting off some sticky liquid, to attract the mosquitoes and drawn them to death.

author: onlooker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2014, 03:22:21 pm
content: Or 3). use an ultra violet bulb, with a battery powered high voltage wire mask/grid. It can be enjoyable to listen the electric zap sound when the poor things fly into it.

author: lapm
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 27, 2014, 03:32:07 pm
content: In my country they sell those mosquito traps, uses CO2 to lure them in and traps them... My wifes parents have one of those and they seem to work well... Ok they use Electricity or natural gas or both to work... But surely they work better then ultrasonic money waster...

author: Refrigerator
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2014, 07:23:30 am
content: I have a couple of those UV zapper lamps but mosquitoes don't seem to be inteested in flying towards the light.

author: Richard Head
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2014, 09:39:35 am
content: I've found natural gas does tend to attract them.

author: jolshefsky
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2014, 12:04:50 pm
content: I can't say I've ever thought ultrasonic would work at all. I'm led to believe citronella works to repel them. And I've read that the UV-based "bug zappers" kill lots of moths and flies but almost no mosquitoes.I'm pretty confident that the CO2-generating devices do work—I just didn't like the whole tankfuls of propane being used to make them work. I just built and am testing ayeast-based CO2 generator bottle contraption that I found on Instructables—I'll be camping next week and I'd like to keep the inside of the tent free of vampires.

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 28, 2014, 12:30:03 pm
content: Beer is (apparently) a source of CO2 and attracts mosquitoes.You could use it as a trap - or just consume enough of it so you don't care if themozziessting..

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2014, 12:52:50 pm
content: Who wants to repel mosquitoes, when killing them can be much more fun. I enjoyed electrocuting them a lot more, using this device at a friend's house in Florence a few months ago when mozzies are a real problem there. CRACK!

author: mzzj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2014, 01:11:15 pm
content: Anyone with ultrasound-guided pulsed laser?

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2014, 05:23:05 pm
content: Citronella oil works well, either in a candle, burnt in a lamp or in a vapouriser. Keeps them away, though when I go camping I take along mosquito repellent sticks that you apply. DEET or Tabard sticks work well, though often I just use a plant that grows as a weed here. Khakibos is pretty good at repelling them, along with sand fleas when rubbed on bare skin.Grows wild, and is everywhere in South Africa. You just have to watch that you do not grab the other plant that looks very similar when small and which also grows wild here. That one you find some people smoke it, and there is a movement to make it legal like in the Netherlands and Portugal.

author: calexanian
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2014, 07:48:36 pm
content: I see a neon sign transformer coming into play here soon!

author: sunnyhighway
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2014, 09:34:29 pm
content: Quote from: mzzj on July 28, 2014, 01:11:15 pmNah, not nerdy enough.....I'm currently using a complex autonomous device which uses stereoscopic vision in the range of 390 to 700 nm to spot and track the mosquitos. It uses readily available random stuff like newspapers or towels to crush these critters. The design is visually rather appealing. Unfortunately the user manual seems to be very hard to obtain.The performance is moderate, but is it's quite al lot of fun to watch it operate (especially when most of the protective shielding is removed). This device seems to have more interesting functions of which (so I've been told) at least some of them them seem to be quite exiting.I'm still in the process of figuring out what these functions actually are.I've been told this device goes by the common name Wife or GF.Any pointers on how to unlock these exiting functions would be much appreciated.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2014, 09:40:39 pm
content: Quote from: sunnyhighway on July 28, 2014, 09:34:29 pmBe careful if you have GF and upgrade it to Wife you can't ever revert the changes and it has a bug that produces self modifying code that keeps on turning features off and uploads more tasks for Husband.

author: Sionyn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2014, 10:04:38 pm
content: that reminds me of story Steve Gibson told were he built a ultrasonic blaster to scare off a viscous dog i won't spoil the story of what happened when he took it school it starts about 57 minuets in

author: apelly
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 28, 2014, 10:48:57 pm
content: Reminds me of thishttp://www.ted.com/talks/nathan_myhrvold_could_this_laser_zap_malaria