16 Years of Research
The Biogents technology is a result of 16 years of fundamental research at the University of Regensburg in Germany and has been tested worldwide. The traps that work with CO2 capture all mosquito species, but are especially effective against tiger mosquitoes and house mosquitoes.
The trap’s high capture rate leads to a continuous decrease of the mosquito population when it is used permanently. The Biogents technology is an eco-friendly & biological method to catch female adult mosquitoes.
What Attracts Mosquitoes
How The Trap Imitates a Human Being by Biogents AG, engineered in Germany.
Body Heat Convection
Imitated by the distribution of the odor plumes over a Biogents trap
Light & Dark Contrast
Mosquitoes are attracted by the color black
Skin Scent
Artificial Skin Scent: Biogents patented Sweeetscent is classified as non toxic
Carbon dioxide
Carbon Dioxide imitating human exhalation.
Human Body Heat Convection
A 4-Watt fan sucks the air into the center of the trap. At the bottom of the trap the air picks up an artificial human scent and then gets diverted upwards past the trap-walls and leaves the trap through the white perforated top. The air plume that leaves the trap now mimics the presence of a warm human body and therefore mosquitoes start to get attracted.
Artificial Skin Scent
The scent dispenser sits at the bottom of the mosquito trap and, while the fan blows air over it, releases substances that resemble those found in our human skin. This way the air leaving the trap is enriched with a ‘human scent‘ which is a big attractant for mosquitoes.
Light & Dark Contrast
Mosquitoes are also attracted by the color black. The black trap entrance contrasts with the white mosquito trap top part and as such act as a visual cue for the mosquito.
Imitating Human Exhalation
Carbon dioxide is the main component that we humans breath out and it is a huge attractant to mosquitoes. The CO2 is added to the air plume through a nozzle that sits on top of the trap. Per 24 hours between 200 – 500gr of CO2 is released.
Cross-section of the trap
When mosquitoes become aware of the artificial human scent and start to approach the traps, the inwards suction current will pull them into the center funnel and into a catch bag from which they cannot escape. This interrupts the reproductive cycle and the mosquito population in your area will gradually decrease.
First and foremost, the tiger and yellow fever mosquitoes are capable of transmitting serious diseases such as Dengue virus serotypes, Yellow fever virus, Chikungunya virus, and Zika virus. The mosquito can transmit the diseases from human to human. In addition to these hazardous threats, the tiger mosquitoes distinguish themselves from other mosquitoes by being day feeders. They are abnormally aggressive and persistent.
Every mosquito species responds differently to the various signals that are emitted by their prey. Tiger and yellow fever mosquitoes react to a combination of particular visual signals, air plumes, and specific scents of the human skin. The Biogents trap is highly efficient, because it is specifically developed for tiger mosquitoes. It is a patented combination of visual signals, artificially generated air plumes, and a patented 3-component-scent that mimics human skin and further enhances the efficiency of the trap.
Many international scientific studies that have been published in the top scientific journals of the world, and also presented at important scientific conventions, conclude that the Biogents trap catches a much higher amount of tiger mosquitoes than other mosquito traps do.
Our system needs about one week time to show an effect, because the traps are “artifical human beings“ for the mosquitoes and they are not more attractive than a real human being. Because the traps are present 24 hours a day and 7 days a week as opposed to human beings, they catch patrolling mosquitoes and hold down the active population (and its reproduction rate) for the long run.
The best place for the trap is somewhere in a shady, humid location, where there is hardly wind. The trap should be placed as close as possible to the mosquito breeding and resting sites.
But we might have to try out several positions because the catching rate depends on many individual things. A few meters can make a big difference.
Biogents traps are all rainproof, however we recommend not to leave the traps in heavy rainfall. Mosquitoes aren’t flying during rainfall. In case of a lot of rain the catch bag has to be emptied more often than usual.
There are many different criteria which have an influence on the catching rate, such as mosquito population, breeding waters, resting places, climate, surroundings etc. The Biogents traps we use each covers about 100 to 600 m².
Compared to Chemical Mosquito Barriers, Biogents traps work well in more seasons here in Phuket. Chemical barriers are not recommended for application if rain is predicted for the next 24 to 48 hours. After spraying and having about a 48 hour dry-spell window a Chemical Mosquito Barrier will generally be effective, but only through 2 or 3 moderate rain showers. In Phuket rainy season lasts from May to October. Biogents traps will work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Rainy season or Dry.