Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
Mosquitoes aren't just blood thirsty. They also have a sweet tooth, relying on plant nectar to get the sugar they need to survive. Exploiting this weakness, scientists have developed an environmentally friendly eradication method. The new, inexpensive technique tricks these annoying pests into gorging themselves on insecticides laced with a concoction that mimics the sweet-smelling scents and aromas that they find irresistible. It could bolster efforts to suppress malaria, Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases worldwide.
The researchers are presenting their work today at the 254th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
"The blend of chemicals that we use to attract mosquitoes is so powerful that they will ignore natural plant odors and attractants in order to get to our formulation," says Agenor Mafra-Neto, Ph.D. "From a mosquito's point of view, it's like having an irresistible chocolate shop on every corner. The product is so seductive that they will feed on it almost exclusively, even when it contains lethal doses of insecticide."
Conventional chemical insecticides used to control mosquitoes are used as cover sprays, frequently dispersed over wide areas. But this blanket spray approach exposes people and animals to potentially harmful compounds and can kill bees and other beneficial insects. In addition, residues of these sprays can contaminate soils and streams, as well as promote increased pesticide resistance. To overcome these issues, Mafra-Neto of ISCA Technologies and colleagues at several universities sought to create a more targeted approach using an insecticide potion spiked with a blend of semiochemicals, or chemical signals, that mosquitoes can't resist.
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(Score: 4, Insightful) by meustrus on Thursday August 24 2017, @04:49PM (2 children)
Where can I buy some? I want to murder all mosquitoes within 20 miles of my home.
If there isn't at least one reference or primary source, it's not +1 Informative. Maybe the underused +1 Interesting?
(Score: 2) by Zinho on Thursday August 24 2017, @05:37PM (1 child)
Nowhere, yet, as far as I can tell.
some interesting things I found while looking:
* Their trademark for the insecticide, "Vectrax", is also used [justia.com] in the industrial sector for selling lathes and mills.
* $1,000,000 of their startup funding came from the U.S. Dept. of Defense in the form of a microloan. On the application they also suggest it could be useful against filth flies and sand flies. [sbir.gov]
Given the fact that they're pushing press releases now, I hope that they'll start selling it soon. I'd happily put bait stations around my property to get the stupid things to stop biting me and my kids.
"Space Exploration is not endless circles in low earth orbit." -Buzz Aldrin
(Score: 2) by Zinho on Thursday August 24 2017, @06:37PM
Update on where to buy:
This falls under the product category of "Attractive Toxic Sugar Bait" (ATSB), research for which has been going on since the 60s.
that works like this, intended for spraying on shrubs. [baitandkill.com]
There's another product, simply called "ATSB", from ADAPCO; [myadapco.com] however, I'm having trouble finding a place for homeowners to purchase any.
"Space Exploration is not endless circles in low earth orbit." -Buzz Aldrin