For over 30 years scientists have been searching for compounds that attract mosquitoes. Over 300 different chemicals are emitted by human skin, and figuring out which ones mosquitoes are most drawn to is painstaking work. However, USDA research entomologist Dr Daniel Kline narrowed down the long list when he decided to use dirty socks as bait. The result: his 3-day-old socks were irresistible to them. He found that mosquitoes were also partial to Limburger Cheese, and the main ingredient in the cheese is a bacterium that’s found on the human foot.
“We feel that you can use attractants in a trapping strategy to divert mosquitoes away from biting people. If you can keep them from biting people you can stop the disease transmission.” says Dr Kline (Seed Magazine, June 15, 2009).
Not everyone wants to use dirty socks however, so for the no-mess, no-fuss brigade, Mega-Catch™ has developed a range of attractants that come in handy-to-use cartridges. Foil wrapped for protection (and longer shelf-life), once opened the active ingredients will slowly disperse and should be replaced every 30 days to remain effective.
Octenol
Octenol (1-Octen-3-ol) is a by-product of the respiration of ruminants (e.g. oxen & cattle) and is sometimes referred to as “cow’s breath”. It is also produced naturally by several plants and fungi, including edible mushrooms. It is approved by the USFDA as a food additive and is a component of some perfumes.
Mega-Catch™ Octenol Fragrance Strips contain minute quantities of synthetic Octenol and other specially formulated ingredients which are designed to attract mosquitoes and other biting insects including sand flies, black flies and biting midges (no-see-ums).
Lactic Acid
Lactic acid (C3H6O3), a major component in breath and on human skin, has proven highly attractive to many species of mosquitoes. The Mega-Catch™ 3000, a combination lure incorporating synthetic Octenol, Lactic acid and other ingredients was developed to provide even better capture rates of targeted species like the disease-carrying Asian Tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus).
In tests conducted by Dr Kline in November 2004, the capture of various mosquito species (including aedes albopictus, anopheles quadrimaculatus, anopheles crucian, culex erraticus, culex nigripalpus, culex quinquifasciatus, culex tarsalis, and ochlerotatus atlanticus) using traps baited with a combination of Octenol and lactic acid was two to three times greater than traps baited with Octenol alone.