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For several decades there have been various incarnations of the idea of using lasers to zap flying insects, particularly mosquitoes. One of the systems in active development is the Photonic Fence from Intellectual Ventures Laboratory. Researchers from the laboratory recently published their findings on determining the optimal dosage to kill mosquitoes using the least amount of energy. One of the criticisms of their system has been that the areas in greatest need for mosquito eradication provide unreliable power, so their system would most likely need to operate by providing its own power.
Their research found that the optimal pulse duration for the lasers they are considering in their design is 25 ms. A significant difference between this research and their previous work is that this study was conducted on in-flight mosquitoes as opposed to previous work that used anesthetized specimens, which demonstrated their vision-based track and targeting system. An added bonus is the four slow-motion videos provided in the Supplemental Information section showing mosquitoes being zapped.
Keller, M.D., Norton, B.J., Farrar, D.J. et al. Optical tracking and laser-induced mortality of insects during flight, Sci Rep 10, 14795 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-71824-y
(Score: 2, Disagree) by JoeMerchant on Monday September 21 2020, @11:34AM (18 children)
I like Video 2 the best, though I wonder: if the optimal pulse is 25ms, do we need a tracking system? The forward velocity of an unladen mosquito shouldn't be much more than 5mph (females with a blood meal onboard are much slower), they can't really make headway in even a moderate breeze. With a wingspan of ~1/4 inch, that means a point transit time of ~28ms - I suppose you would need a sheet of laser energy rather than a beam, although with a beam you could effectively target passing (single) mosquitoes with a one dimensional tracker.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by VLM on Monday September 21 2020, @11:59AM (11 children)
Having seen several videos on this topic including the "famous" TED talk demonstration, they get wound up about accidentally killing the useful bugs, bees and so on. And there's some laser way of reflecting an aimed beam off the bug to measure wing flapping speed which is effective at isolating mosquitos before blasting them.
Someone modded you disagree but didn't bother explaining why; I'll explain why and not bother modding LOL? Maybe the "disagree" mod isn't so useful for tech type articles.
As a side issue, because why not, it seems it would always be simpler to eliminate mosquito habitat than to shoot them down later in the lifecycle. So invent a drone that locates (municipal tickets?) clogged gutters, water filled trash in yards, etc. Also Ryobi makes a tool-battery powered fan, which in addition to making me cooler, the fan breeze disturbs mosquitos effectively, at least if I'm not moving out of the fan breeze. So invent a drone that hovers on my head like a virtual beanie and that would be a mosquito shield. Heck, have the drone laser scan for mosquitos and actively chase them away from me...
(Score: 5, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Monday September 21 2020, @12:22PM (6 children)
I'll comment without modding: flying bugs in my home? Zero beneficial types, kill 'em all - let the HVAC filter out the smoke.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 4, Interesting) by gmby on Monday September 21 2020, @07:15PM (4 children)
I once had some Jumping Spiders hang out in my bathroom plant area. They ate all the mosquitos and flies that came into the bathroom attracted to the water. Plant was hanging behind the toilet and never did the spiders jump on me or bite me. They did watch me alot; and I them. Watching a spider use a anchor line to hunt on a wall was just incredable. Fun little critters.
https://youtu.be/UDtlvZGmHYk [youtu.be] BBC Video
Bye
(Score: 1) by anubi on Monday September 21 2020, @07:49PM
If you have a pond around, consider a submerged LED "flounder light", pointed up, so as to attract mosquitos into the water. Have mosquito fish in the water.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Monday September 21 2020, @11:00PM (2 children)
Spiders make for great pest control, with a little practice you can even train them to stay away from certain areas (or at least out of sight).
House centipedes are another wonderful one (the grey-brown ones with long thing legs and dark racing stripes) - even more ruthless hunters than spiders, but not aggressive, and mostly incapable of biting through your skin even if you somehow manage to provoke them.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 26 2020, @08:14PM (1 child)
Also how do people benefit from pets in their homes? Social camaraderie?
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Sunday September 27 2020, @03:30AM
Sounds reasonable to me. We are pack animals by nature after all, and modern society has largely destroyed pack cohesion. They're still some functional use in modern society - if only by having someone more high-strung in the house to let you know whether you imagined that sound from the kitchen or not.
Only... what do pets have to do with the conversation?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 22 2020, @01:47AM
Leave the smoke. It will serve as a warning to the others who dare to follow.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday September 21 2020, @12:28PM (3 children)
As always, real life isn't so simple. I have a gutter (designed/installed by previous owner), it can get clogged within a day after clearing due to debris falling on the roof from nearby trees (shall we cut down all the trees to reduce mosquito habitat now?) - I have been often tempted to remove the gutter, which would reduce my exposure to your hypothetical drone ticketing, but that would lead to water ponding along the house wall rather than effective shunting to the yard with better drainage. This is actually the problem when the gutter clogs: water spills over and ponds along the house/sidewalk. So: clear the gutter when I can, but it is most easily done while rain is falling since that washes the loose debris down - and gets the wife yelling at me about self endangerment from lightning...
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 1) by shrewdsheep on Monday September 21 2020, @01:07PM (1 child)
Why can't you roof the gutter then?
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday September 21 2020, @01:27PM
I've lived with a roofed gutter in another house - it still collects oak branches, leaves and acorns, but now they're up on the gutter roof instead of down inside the gutter, and also holding moisture that much closer to your roof decking. In other words, they may help some, sometimes, but they still need cleaning. The easier a gutter roof clears itself, it seems that it also shunts a significant proportion of the rainwater over its edge. Our problems don't come from trickle rains, they come from 4 inch+ per hour downpours.
What I could do to solve it would be to eliminate the downspout, just open the end and put a hard surface on the ground for the water to fall on. For now I clean it about 5-10 times a year, usually just at the downspout; just takes a minute with a short stepladder - if you're doing it while the gutter is full of water so it washes itself clean after you clear the clog.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 21 2020, @04:49PM
> clogged within a day after clearing
Not sure about your details, but we have cheap plastic gutter cover slipped up under the shingles. The outer edge of the cover clips over the outer edge of the gutter. The best kind we've found has round holes and plastic screening stuck to the bottom side to keep smaller stuff from getting through the holes. Very effective on the black-locust-tree leaves (small leaves) that make up most of our problem. The screening is small enough to block the grit that slowly comes off the shingles and used to build up fairly uniformly in the bottom of the gutter.
It's true that sheeting rain will wash over top and miss the gutter/downspout system, but we don't have those kinds of storms here very often.
(Score: 4, Funny) by RS3 on Monday September 21 2020, @01:14PM (2 children)
What do you mean, an African or European mosquito?
(Score: 3, Funny) by JoeMerchant on Monday September 21 2020, @01:29PM (1 child)
I wouldn't know, I'm not a king.
(Thank you for recognizing the setup and following through.)
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Tuesday September 22 2020, @04:28AM
Run away! Run away! Oh, sorry, wrong one this time? I tried... :)
Always glad to be there for you, and thanks for setting me up. :)
(Score: 2) by VacuumTube on Monday September 21 2020, @02:02PM (2 children)
The best mosquito control I've seen that works for many situations is to simply keep a fan blowing in the direction of people in the room. At doorways and windows additional fans do a good job of keeping the little suckers outside. The method is widely used in S.E. Asia.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday September 21 2020, @03:27PM (1 child)
Yep - if you get off on seeing dead bugs, you can add a mesh net bad in front of the fan. I doubt there is a whole lot of net difference in bug bites with/without the mesh bag, but it is gratifying to see that the effort is "making a difference."
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Tuesday September 22 2020, @04:41AM
I'm having a Déjà vu that I've written this before here. Anyway, I remember as a kid in the 70s at various roadside hamburger and ice cream places under the eves kind of above where you'd stand to order food they'd have this bug catcher that was super gross. It would have a circular florescent lamp with a fan in the middle and a cloth bag and it would always be full of bugs. Bugs love the UV from the florescent lamp.
My neighbor used to have one of those bug zappers outside with the UV bulb and charged screens. The sounds were somewhat annoying on a warm summer night, especially when something would get lodged in it and it would buzz and crackle and buzz. Shame is it would kill good and bad bugs.
I know mosquitoes are attracted to heat and CO2, but are they attracted to UV?