The control effect of Biogents mosquito traps

So you have a problem with day-biting, aggressive tiger mosquitoes? Swatting a few simply will not do the trick, and neither will an ultrasonic repeller. Light traps are of little benefit during the day and at night attract beneficial insects, making them less than ideal.

Solving the problem is actually quite simple: You need the right products to combat mosquitoes effectively. A good mosquito trap catches the mosquitoes in large enough numbers to have a significant impact on the local population. This has two benefits: firstly it reduces the biting frequency making your yard more usable, secondly it causes a reduction in breeding and a further reduction on population. Reclaim your yard from the pesky invaders and start enjoying your outdoor space again.

1) Tiger mosquito control with traps for hungry females

Originally developed as a tool for scientists and and public health professionals, Biogents mosquito traps are the gold standard for catching tiger mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes are attracted to Biogents traps in almost the same way they are attracted to a human. The black and white contrasts are additionally attractive.

However, tiger mosquitoes would still decide in favor of a human being if given the choice. Unfortunately, no one has come up yet with a trap that is more attractive than a human. But unlike a human, the trap is there all the time, lures mosquitoes and catches them. You can check the capture rate any time by glancing into the trap bag and counting the mosquitoes that will no longer bite you.

The radius covered by the trap is about 20 yards. Accordingly, you do not need to worry about additional mosquitoes from a greater distance being drawn into your garden.

To test the effect of BG suction traps in Cesena, Italy, we measured the biting pressure in areas with Biogents traps and compared it to the biting pressure in comparable areas without Biogents traps.

Figure: The effect of Biogents traps on the nuissance of Asian tiger mosquitoes in three test zones in Cesena, Italy, compared to three zones without traps.
Source: Englbrecht C., Gordon S., Venturelli C., Rose A., and Geier M. (2015). Evaluation of BG-Sentinel Trap as a Management Tool to Reduce Aedes albopictus Nuisance in an Urban Environment in Italy, Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 31(1):16-25.

A measurable decrease in the frequency of landings in areas with Biogents traps was already evident after a few days. A 85 % decrease in tiger mosquito landings, compared to control areas without traps was even achieved in the course of the season – without the use of insecticidal fogging or spraying. Although it will never be possible to achieve 100 % protection against mosquito bites outdoors, such a decrease in biting rates makes a big difference.

2) Improve the control effect with traps for egg-laying mosquitoes

Where as the BG-Mosquitaire catches mosquitoes that are looking for a blood meal, the BG-GAT targets mosquitoes that are looking for a place to lay eggs (= an oviposition site). The mosquito is captured on the sticky card and the eggs are prevented from being laid. This has two benefits: firstly each female can lay between 50 and 150 eggs, so there is a significant impact on mosquito population. Secondly the female is also captured in the trap and is prevented from biting again or laying further eggs.

To further raise the chance for the mosquitoes to get caught by the BG-GAT, find as many other oviposition sites (containers with standing water, buckets, vases, tires, clogged drains), drain them and clean them up. More info on this can be found on our page “Controlling container-breeding mosquitoes“.

Under normal circumstances, two BG-GAT traps and one BG-Mosquitaire should do the job. This is why we call this the 2+1 concept. If you are interested, you can get a 2+1 bundle in the Biogents webshop.