EAST GREENWICH, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 27, 2002--In a just completed independent study of commercially available mosquito traps, researchers at the Cayman Island Mosquito Research & Control Unit found that the Mosquito Magnet(TM) Liberty captured thousands more mosquitoes than other mosquito abatement products tested.
The study, conducted in June 2002 over a nine-day period in a mosquito infested mangrove swamp in the Cayman Islands, examined the effectiveness of American Biophysics' Mosquito Magnet(TM) Liberty, Coleman's Mosquito Deleto and Applica's SonicWeb. The results: Mosquito Magnet's(TM) Liberty caught 7,161 mosquitoes, Coleman's unit caught 37 mosquitoes and the SonicWeb caught five. In further testing in an urban area with a relatively low mosquito population, the Liberty trapped 286 mosquitoes over a 17-day period compared to only five trapped by the Mosquito Deleto. The SonicWeb was not tested in the urban setting due to its poor performance in the area with a dense mosquito population.
The study is part of the Cayman Island Research & Control Unit's ongoing efforts to monitor mosquito populations in the Islands and is important because mosquito control operations are carried out based on the number and species of mosquitoes collected during the monitoring program.
"We have used light traps to monitor and collect mosquitoes on the Island for nearly forty years," said Alan Wheeler, Ph.D., senior research officer of the Cayman Islands Mosquito Research & Control Unit. "We evaluated commercial machines on the market to see if any of them could augment the traps we currently use to monitor mosquitoes. Clearly the Mosquito Magnet(TM) out-catches the other commercial traps we tested and will be a useful tool for monitoring the mosquito population here on the Cayman Islands."
Another important finding of the study was that, in both locations tested, the Mosquito Magnet(TM) collected a broader range of mosquito species. For instance, the Mosquito Magnet(TM) collected nine different species compared to just three species collected by the Mosquito Deleto in the test conducted in the swampy area. "This difference is very significant for our monitoring purposes because we have many species here on the Island," said Wheeler. "Also, although the Mosquito Deleto did collect a few mosquitoes, the sticky papers used to catch them on the trap made it very difficult to identify the mosquitoes, which is not good for scientific monitoring."
The Mosquito Magnet(TM) converts propane gas, from a standard 20-lb. tank, into carbon dioxide and emits a plume of carbon dioxide, heat and moisture to attract female mosquitoes, the ones that bite. It is the only mosquito trap available that uses a patented Counterflow(TM) technology to vacuum the insects into the trap where they dehydrate and die. The Mosquito Magnet(TM) is environmentally sound, uses no harmful chemicals or pesticides and is completely child- and pet-friendly. The Mosquito Magnet(TM) technology was developed over a nine-year period during which American Biophysics worked closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, state departments of environmental management, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
For more details on the Mosquito Magnet(TM) Liberty and other Mosquito Magnet(TM) traps, visit www.mosquitomagnet.com. The Mosquito Magnet(TM) Liberty retails for $495 and is available through www.frontgate.com, and other local dealers.
CONTACT: Schneider & Associates
Juliana Lear or Sarah Whitmore
617-536-3300
jlear@schneiderpr.com
swhitmore@schneiderpr.com