Traps vs. Mosquitoes & The Zika and West Nile Virus

There are usually so many mosquitoes outdoors, no matter how many you catch,
there are still more than enough to get you. And, most of what you kill are not mosquitoes. Many you kill are beneficial insect.s.

However, with Zika, every mosquito you catch may now be very important.

Our traps will catch mosquitoes.

Indoors, where the number of mosquitoes can be limited, is where insect light traps will be the most help.

As we understand it, mosquitos do not carry the Zika Virus more than 400-500 feet.
The mosquito must bite an infected person within that area and then bite an uninfected person within that same area to transfer the virus.
So, areas where people congregate, like restaurants, community centers, churches,and businesses of all kinds,
are prime Zika transfer areas. This makes clear the need for having as many professional insect light traps as possible within those areas.

Gilbert® Recommendations:

Professional insect electorcuters (not glueboard traps) should be placed inside buildings where people congregate.

The portable Gilbert® 220 Guerrilla™
is usually the best choice against mosquitoes, indoors at home.
With an extension cord, the Guerrilla® can be easily placed in different locations.

My personal experience:
I use a 220 Guerrilla™ in my bedroom when I'm bothered by that one or two mosquitoes that won't let me sleep. I plug it in on the far side of the room, more than a meter away. It works. It has been my experience that once you've plugged in the Guerrilla™, the mosquito will leave you alone. Most often, they appear to flee into the shadows, avoiding the light.

Mosquitoes may respond immediately. Usually, however, the pest simply darts to the shadows, leaving me alone to sleep. At sometime during the night, I usually hear a zap. Most often, this occurs in the morning as the sun is rising.

You can increase the attractiveness of a trap to mosquitoes by placing dry ice in the tray of the trap (gives off carbon dioxide as it melts). There is a trap on the market that uses a combination of a heating tube wrapped around a carbon dioxide dispenser to attract mosquitoes, and though I know it will catch mosquitoes, I don't know how effective it is, and, most importantly, it's not really designed for indoor home use.

Let me be clear though; mosquitoes prefer an animal to any trap. You certainly can't depend on traps outdoors when there are a large number of mosquitoes around. My father used to say that "using traps outdoors to control mosquitoes is like peeing in the ocean to raise the level". He had a good deal of experience trying, including completely surrounding the little league baseball field I played on with giant electrocuters. It didn't work.

However, some rethinking may be due since Zika exists. We have been primarily concerned with flies and other pests of the food and pharmaceutical industries; mosquitoes are not our primary target pest and I don't know that any of my experiences (mentioned above) were with the particular species that carries the Zika or West Nile Virus. However, I do believe the results are likely to be similar, if not exactly the same.

Good luck, and, please, let me know your results. Be wary of any "expert" who tells you he knows about using light traps in this way. I don't know anyone who does, but I know many who like to pretend they do, including outdoor trap salesmen and clueless PhDs with little or no actual experience with professional traps, especially indoors.
Jonesboro Little League Park (1960s)

Do your own research. Keep in touch. We will improve and update this page continually.

Sincerely,
David Gilbert
President
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