The Straits Times, Singapore
The following article was taken from the March 16 2001 edition of The Straits Times, Singapore.
The mosquito spots its prey, a chunky object that promises to be a real threat. Black, warm and emitting carbon dioxide, it is simply irresistible to the insect.
It zooms in for the attack.
Suddenly, it finds itself caught in a gust of air, and is sucked into a black bag where it joins other mosquitoes.
The insect has just been fooled by Mega-Catch™, a 38cm by 25cm black box.
This scenario was described by a local pest-control company which has been marketing the gadget for about a week.
The firm said that Mega-Catch™ has features which replicate what attracts mosquitoes.
Among these are an electronically-controlled gas discharge system which releases carbon dioxide - one of the gases that people breathe out - and a heat source tuned to the temperature of the human body. Unlike fumigation, which kills other insects like butterflies and ladybirds in addition to mosquitoes, Mega-Catch™ captures only mosquitoes and biting insects like sandflies.
One gadget caught more than 1,200 mosquitoes in a night in field tests conducted in northern Malaysia.