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Science Malaysia's own "mosquito attractant", UM "mosquito attractant" MMA on display

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TSmmatrapper
post Sep 3 2009, 09:36 PM, updated 15y ago

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Malaysian Researchers displays an astonishing Biotech product - Mosquito Attractant MMA.

UM [ Uni Malaya] displayed their biotech mosquito attractant called MMA on youtube. This stuff is suppose to attract the mosquitoes into traps where they are dehydrated.

Many people have bought mosquito traps that advertise their ability to attract mosquitoes, either by CO2, UV light, Octenol, etc., but most of the time, it does not work.

UV light attracts mainly nocturnal insects like moths, flying ants and flies. IF you put it in your closed kitchen or room, you may get a few mosquitoes, but it is normally by circumstances, ie. they had nowhere else to go. If you put it out in an open area, like your house backyard, you will catch other insects.

CO2 and Octenol are real attractants, but normally must be formulated in a complicated and scientific manner. The only CO2 traps that works are the big traps from the US that requires a propane tank, and they cost $3,000 onwards. Then, the Octenol will work when the gas is emitted together.

UM's Mosquito Attractant MMA is a true Biotech Semiochemical [ behavior message chemical ] that causes a consistent "reaction" from the Blood Seeking Female mosquitoes.

They become aggressive, and will try to land and probe, and if given a chance, they will begin to bite. This is exactly the reaction that a true Mosquito Attractant should create if it is to be used as a Lure for Mosquito Trapping.

The novelty is that it is a water based organic plant extract that is easy to use and stable under tropical conditions, etc. Blow some air over it and the mosquitoes will react aggressively and will fly towards the source of the scent.

See this at youtube - Mosquito Attractant MMA.

The trap design is then unimportant, and all you need is a 4" computer fan to suck them into a cage when they hover at close proximity to the source of the scent.
Attached Image

Everyone can make their own DIY or Homemade Mosquito Trap, which can be part of lamps, flowerpots, birdcages, or any garden decoration, as long as a suction fan and the Mosquito attractant is included.

The 4" computer fan needs only 9-12V DC power, via a simple transformer, or made cordless via a rechargeable computer backup battery, a motorbike battery or via a solar panel with deep recharge batteries.

You can zap the trapped mosquitoes if you want them dead instantly. It works for both indoors and outdoors.

In short, anything and everything goes, as the main [only] active components are the suction fan and the mosquito attractant.

The goal of the researchers is for mass community [ everyone] participation in Dengue prevention, and awareness of the great potential of Biotech research for tackling this immense and growing problem.

Watch the video!!

This post has been edited by mmatrapper: Sep 20 2009, 05:54 PM
foonkeng
post Sep 14 2009, 10:17 AM

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QUOTE(mmatrapper @ Sep 3 2009, 09:36 PM)
Malaysian Researchers displays an astonishing Biotech product - Mosquito Attractant MMA.

UM [ Uni Malaya] displayed their biotech mosquito attractant called MMA on youtube. This stuff is suppose to attract the mosquitoes into traps where they are dehydrated.

Many people have bought mosquito traps that advertise their ability to attract mosquitoes, either by CO2, UV light, Octenol, etc., but most of the time, it does not work.

UV light attracts mainly nocturnal insects like moths, flying ants and flies. IF you put it in your closed kitchen or room, you may get a few mosquitoes, but it is normally by circumstances, ie. they had nowhere else to go. If you put it out in an open area, like your house backyard, you will catch other insects.

CO2 and Octenol are real attractants, but normally must be formulated in a complicated and scientific manner. The only CO2 traps that works are the big traps from the US that requires a propane tank, and they cost $3,000 onwards. Then, the Octenol will work when the gas is emitted together.

UM's  Mosquito Attractant MMA is a true Biotech Semiochemical [ behavior message chemical ] that causes a consistent "reaction" from the Blood Seeking Female mosquitoes.

They become aggressive, and will try to land and probe, and if given a chance, they will begin to bite. This is exactly the reaction that a true Mosquito Attractant should create if it is to be used as a Lure for Mosquito Trapping.

The novelty is that it is a water based organic plant extract that is easy to use and stable under tropical conditions, etc. Blow some air over it and the mosquitoes will react aggressively and will fly towards the source of the scent.

See this at youtube - Mosquito Attractant MMA.

The trap design is then unimportant, and all you need is a 4" computer fan to suck them into a cage when they hover at close proximity to the source of the scent.
Attached Image

Everyone can make their own DIY or Homemade Mosquito Trap, which can be part of lamps, flowerpots, birdcages, or any garden decoration, as long as a suction fan and the Mosquito attractant is included.

The 4" computer fan needs only 9-12V DC power, via a simple transformer, or made cordless via a rechargeable computer backup battery, a motorbike battery or via a solar panel with deep recharge batteries.

You can zap the trapped mosquitoes if you want them dead instantly. It works for both indoors and outdoors.

In short, anything and everything goes, as the main [only] active components are the suction fan and the mosquito attractant.

The goal of the researchers is for mass community [ everyone]  participation in Dengue prevention, and awareness of the great potential of Biotech research for tackling this immense and growing problem.

The mosquito attractant MMA will be made available to the public very soon.

PS... I will post the contact details of where you can get hold of the MMA mosquito attractant when given the green light from the researchers. [ For volunteer testers - subject to conditions ]

Watch the video and make a trap!!
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Added on September 14, 2009, 10:18 amIt is not necessary to make your own Mosquito Trap nowadays. Traps are widely available at Parkson and at a reasonable price RM 143.00 ... www.mosquito-free.com

This post has been edited by foonkeng: Sep 14 2009, 10:18 AM


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sideshow
post Sep 14 2009, 03:12 PM

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pixelsheep
post Sep 14 2009, 04:44 PM

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QUOTE(foonkeng @ Sep 14 2009, 10:17 AM)

Added on September 14, 2009, 10:18 amIt is not necessary to make your own Mosquito Trap nowadays. Traps are widely available at Parkson and at a reasonable price RM 143.00 ... www.mosquito-free.com
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Did you even read the OP? 3rd line of the post:

"Many people have bought mosquito traps that advertise their ability to attract mosquitoes, either by CO2, UV light, Octenol, etc., but most of the time, it does not work."

The trap you posted:

"CARBON DIOXIDE is the primary bait used and is produced by the photocatalyst reaction of the UV rays radiating onto a panel coated with Titanium Dioxide (TiO2). As a catalyst, TiO2 is not consumed in the process.The mosquito is sensitive to the wavelength of light of the UV RAYS and the PERMANENT HEAT from the UV lamp tube serve as another attractant to the mosquitoes.

OCTENOL and LACTIC ACID are added to help lure mosquitoes toward the trap, where they are then suctioned in by the fan. The Lactic-Acid & Octenol lasts approximately two (2) months."

Well done.
tgrrr
post Sep 18 2009, 05:48 PM

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I believe the major issue with all those off the shelf solutions is they only perform well in a room without a human.

With a human generally emitting larger amounts of CO2 and all those so called mosquito attractants, most devices simply fail to compete.

So the question is, does "this" solution works?
TSmmatrapper
post Sep 18 2009, 07:33 PM

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Does the MMA mosquito attractant and mosquito trap exceed or match the "attractiveness" of a "true human host"? The short answer is NO!...not yet........But...

Case a] if you a Sleeping Human Host.... the MMA trap and attractant has been tested in the upstairs shophouses in Pudu with partitions and high open ceilings [no aircon], and they were able to trap mosquitoes successfully in the presence of a few sleeping hosts. Under such circumstances, the answer is Yes! Biting incidences fell very significantly and nightly trappings were consistent. You will have much reduced buzzing around your ears and itchy feet. Beats the mosquito coils and mats.

Case cool.gif If you are sitting in your house, with open windows....and the MMA mosquito trap and attractant has been deployed outside for some time, in the garden or carport......the answer is also Yes! The traps will work, but only at night, and you will feel the difference. However, it is not perfect under such circumstances.

When does it not work?.....the trap and attractant is not effective in the daytime. It is not effective when you are sitting in your garden in the evening and at night. Under such circumstances, the human hosts are generally more attractive than any known substitute attractant..as yet. Technically, the MMA causes close proximity hovering and probing only, but the actual blood feed and biting may be triggered by other factors such as heat, CO2, movement, skin scent, etc [ do not yet know] and the MMA trap and attractant does not possess these "triggers". A true human host has everything. [most unfortunately]

However.... these problems are greatly compensated with the MMA mosquito trap and attractant if such systems are deployed continuously and over a period of time. The simple reason is that it catches mosquitoes every night, without fail, and eventually, the only mosquitoes it catches are those that have been brought in by the wind and came from the surroundings. In a typical house in Subang or PJ, you can expect the "incoming" mosquitoes to average 10-20 daily. The trick is to trap these nightly. If you do not do so, you will have infestation and resident mosquito colonies, normally residing in the drains, gutters, among plants and under the furniture.

You can actually "feel" the difference.

Last point.... why "attract" mosquitoes to your home and garden.?..Actually, the best attractant are the resident human hosts [ already present], and the whole research and development of the MMA mosquito trap and attractant is to "counter, compensate and disrupt" this naturally evolved relationship between humans and mosquitoes, which is getting out of sync due to factors like urbanisation, deforestation, migration, open drains and littering, etc.

Mosquitoes are still winning, but the development of Biotech semiochemicals such as the MMA looks like the new way forward. When the MMA exceeds the attractiveness of the true human hosts....it works good, even now....who knows the future!


tgrrr
post Sep 18 2009, 11:42 PM

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You still didn't answer the question of does "this" solution works. What makes this work that many others doesn't?

Forgive me for being skeptical, but there are plenty of other solutions out there with equally impressive descriptions.
And making paragraphs of words with "Yes it works" or "No, not yet, but..." only sounds like advertisement.

This is a science forum. If you got the source to support these statements (like a placebo-controlled, double-blind experiment results) then please post them. Otherwise this is yet another unproven solution.
Besides, I'm sure a working solution will advertise itself 100 times better than lengthy explanations.

Also, has the environment impact been checked? Will this device end up killing more other bugs than mosquitoes and upsetting nature's balance like what most bug zappers does?
How long does it takes for this device to eradicate a local mosquito population? How effective would this be if only 3 out of 10 houses have this device? Or will it just be a case of you kill more of them, they just breed more?
And how many species of mosquitoes does this device actually works on?
wodenus
post Sep 19 2009, 01:52 AM

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And why not just use mozzie netting? smile.gif

TSmmatrapper
post Sep 19 2009, 06:28 AM

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Two parts of the question was answered. Is it more "attractive" than human hosts? ...basically No. Does it work, definitely Yes, but not under any circumstances. Your request for details and testing parameters will obviously come, via a post-grad scientific paper, to be presented by the Uni, not me. I think there is a presentation scheduled in Santiago later in the year for the peers.

Working units are currently deployed in many sites and states, with volunteer testers and study teams. The first phase of testing, over a 2 year +period is completed, and the current tests expands the geographical spread and scope of the tests.

However, you are right about not substantiating statements, but the point of this post, in a public forum, is about feedback and opinions, from those who are interested in this topic. The more important aim of this post is to inform the same forum members that even though most commercial traps have been tried and decried as useless by the general public, the science behind this system for mosquito control is very real and holds great potential. Advertising, yes, for open mindedness.

It will be a great tragedy if a pre-conceived notion, that mosquito traps with semiochemical attractants are only commercial gimmicks, is allowed to be planted into the minds of the scientific and general community by either skeptics or those who have bought useless traps. It is difficult enough to work on the science. Turning an entrenched negative public opinion is not the forte of scientists generally, especially with chemicals.

The release of the lab video is to demonstrate, for all to see, that this is a serious and relatively new science...and real!

To answer your questions, you will notice that the mosquito response in the video, and the picture of the trap, is free of large UV light stimulants. The big UV lights in traps attracts a lot of nocturnal insects, as does the use of acetone, ammonia and octenol attract small flies. The MMA is mosquito specific. It does not attract flies, bees, moths, ants, birds, cats, monitor lizard,squirrels,snakes [yes,they were in the test compound], etc. Your query on the trapping of other beneficial insects was one of the first considerations raised by UM.

On the effectiveness of the trap and attractant against a trap without any semiochemicals [zappers], the factor is greater than 5:1 in an outdoor environment. On most days, it is actually 10-20:0. Mosquitoes seems to be primitive in their responses, and will almost always fly towards the more attractive scent, even if the difference is marginal. In parallel tests where one scent is an improved version and the other is a lesser attractant, the catch of the improved version is often all:zero. In outdoor trappings, via a normal suburban garden, wind and light conditions affects the results of such parallel testing. The potency and quantity of the attractant emitted is the single most important factor in trapping efficacy. The trap is secondary.

On other solutions...all of us are local, so it starts with mosquito coils, nets, vapor mats, screens, aerosols, tiling up the whole garden, gardeners cleaning the drains, cutting down the fruit trees, fogging, removing the roof gutters, Bti, repellents and air-conditioning the whole house. Did them all, and still kena Dengue. The problem is the Outdoors...open drains, urban structures, litter and green, tropical weather. My personal favourite, I think the mosquito racket was the best invention so far, but a lot of effort and can't do it in the dark outdoors. The trap and attractant is actually effortless and fills up this gap.

On the question of the time it takes to clear an individual site, the answer is not exact, as testers can only check [ during the daytime] by physically walking and deliberately disturbing the compound to observe for resting mosquitoes after a night's trapping. In a "cleared compound" they will encounter very few mosquitoes, say two, for example. But it is impossible to tell if these mosquitoes were blown in during the day or migrated from next door upon disturbance by the testers. However, it is consistent that even when no mosquitoes were found in such a foraging exercise, the overnight trapping will average 10-20 in a house in PJ. Inward migration is the only logical conclusion. In a test compound in PJ, via a bungalow sitting on 14,000 sq.ft, the traps were switched off for 7 days, and mosquitoes numbers were allowed to build up. Traps were then switched on and trappings for the first 3 day period was 120 mosquitoes, and then fell to 10-20 daily thereafter, as the ongoing norm for this particular test premise. There will always be incoming mosquitoes.

An inaugural mass community based deployment test is currently being planned, so there is no data to answer your question on neighborhood deployment yet. However, the immediate neighbours of the test compound in PJ have indicated that they can feel the reduction of mosquitoes. The testers reports that the lack of scouting mosquitoes is a palpable sensation.

On the question of trapping efficacy against breeding.... tests are ongoing. Ovitraps supplied by Bandaraya KL are simultaneously deployed in the test compound where the traps and attractants are used. While daily trappings are counted, larvae that have developed in the ovitraps are also counted. This test is ongoing, but in the 7 months of dual deployment, to date, the trapping of mosquitoes are consistent at 10-20 mosquitoes nightly, while larvae development has been very low in the prior 6 months, but have only increased these two weeks when a new ovitrap attractant was introduced into some of the traps. Total larvae developed in the clean water ovitraps over the whole period so far will be 1:25 when compared to daily mosquito trappings. The ovitraps with attractant ratios are too early to call, but it does not look like breeding will be anywhere near trapping within the compound...but ovitraps with attractants does it's part.

The types of mosquitoes caught varies by geography and degree of urbanization. Very early on, a comparative test was made, within the Uni campus, to check the potential efficacy of the MMA using the Biogents sentinel traps and lure [ current state of art for vector surveillance] as the comparative benchmark. The numbers and types caught were almost identical. The predominant mosquito trapped was Culex, while Aedes was a lesser catch.

Current tests results in the other states are not yet tabulated. The tests should conclude by the end of the current academic year. Culex is highly dominant in the east coast states.

There is one point brought up that is of great interest... that a "working solution" is better than all the banter. The [proposed and awaiting approval] next phase of this post is to present the instructions on how to make the trap from a 4" computer fan, so that forum members who are interested can DIY the mosquito trap. The MMA attractant will then be provided [ FOC] so that the testing can be extended to new independent "volunteer testers" [ with conditions]. Some permit and safety issues have to be ironed out.

Can you help?











silverhawk
post Sep 19 2009, 11:05 AM

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Considering this was done in UM, are there any study papers we can look at?
aKiSuSu
post Sep 19 2009, 12:16 PM

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tl;tr

if to read, more like your advertising smthing ==
post something for us to see plz
TSmmatrapper
post Sep 19 2009, 03:19 PM

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QUOTE(silverhawk @ Sep 19 2009, 11:05 AM)
Considering this was  done in UM, are there any study papers we can look at?
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The answer to your question is a "not yet published",but it will come, eventually. I am no authority on research publication matters, but it is a case of "more than meets the eye". Here, I do not speak for or from UM or the researchers.

The science of Biotech semiochemicals is relatively new, and major discoveries are scarce, with research carried out only by a small group of scientists in world renowned IHLs and research institutions. The work is serious and complex, with crossovers between different faculties of science, from gene mapping of the mosquito noses, to testing and isolation of semiochemicals, synthesis of mixtures, to biological/behavioural responses by insects generally and blood feed seeking female mosquitoes in particular. The research targets such immensely difficult diseases such as malaria, dengue and chikungunya.... mosquito borne diseases, which is spreading out to new areas, in part due to global mobility and global warming. You can now find dengue in the us, Italy, australia, where previously, such diseases affects only the tropics.

So imagine you are working on a potentially very significant semiochemical. Do you patent it first or just publish it. Following the current trends in the western academia world, it is announced, discussed, but not identified until it is patented. Then it is published.

As IHLs and research institutes generally do not run businesses, the research can be passed to a big chemical insecticide company so that it can be made commercially available. These multinationals then continues private research for commercial purposes, and ...some good stories and some bad.

Mosquitoes is basically a third world problem, and if we have a potential first world solution, we have an option of putting in enough resources and effort to fully exhaust and exploit this specific opportunity so that it does not get twisted and lost in the commercial world.

I have a personal favorite test that is yet to be initiated...what if you make insecticides "attractive" to the mosquitoes, and they are tricked to poison themselves? [Idea from Dr Axel and Dr Zweibel, not mine]

This direction calls for never ending research and trails....thus, "not yet published". I can only assume that this is the PhD "philosophical" challenge that the researchers are facing. Do they "raise the bar" within their own setup. I would like to believe that.

Personal Note

My postings are going to be long winded, philosophical and personal interpretations of the current state of this MMA development. Your responses will be fed to the researchers so that they can get a feel for the general public opinion.
Public awareness and public participation, aided by hightech tools, is better than "give up,lah!"


Added on September 19, 2009, 3:42 pm
QUOTE(aKiSuSu @ Sep 19 2009, 12:16 PM)
tl;tr

if to read, more like your advertising smthing ==
post something for us to see plz
*
One of the testers has been asked to prepare a blog which will be full of pictures and dead mosquitoes, etc. They are working on it and it should be out soon. However, it is worthwhile to read up on semiochemicals, as the pictures means very little by itself.

RTM has scheduled a 7 minute video shoot for the UM team, to be broadcast, but it is akan datang.

As long as you are interested and have positive vibes, I'm cool!



This post has been edited by mmatrapper: Sep 19 2009, 03:42 PM
ozak
post Sep 19 2009, 09:41 PM

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I m using the mosquito trap same as foonkeong mention here. It using ultraviolet, CO2, heat and fan suction combine to trap & kill the mosquito. The way it trap & kill is same as you write here. Different is the way to generate the CO2.

Check it out here.
http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/904811/+2420
http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1107657/+80
http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/1107657/+460
nando
post Sep 20 2009, 08:37 AM

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did the trap worked against Aedes, when tested at peak hours of Aedes activities?
TSmmatrapper
post Sep 20 2009, 05:34 PM

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QUOTE(nando @ Sep 20 2009, 08:37 AM)
did the trap worked against Aedes, when tested at peak hours of Aedes activities?
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Good Question! and I think you know the answer....NO! Have not found a trap that will work in the daytime when applied outdoors. If it works indoors, it is normally due to the mosquitoes having nowhere to go and eventually gets trapped, but not by deliberate design.

Even though aedes have been described as a daytime feeder by entomologists, I have not found papers that says they are "exclusive" and will not feed also at night. What I can confirm is that the MMA is "attractive" for the Aedes mosquitoes day or night.

Clearly, a true human host is far more complete and attractive for mosquitoes, aedes or otherwsie.

This "completeness" is the threshold that researchers are attempting to match or exceed, the ultimate solution.

We are not there yet, as the true human host includes size, heat, movement, scent [all sorts] and blood.

However, even though the current MMA semiochemical and trap do not work in the daytime, it is effective at night. The ability to trap the mosquitoes at night leaves only the incoming daytime mosquitoes to deal with, which is the final part of the ongoing investigation.

The current research and trials suggests that daytime trapping requires "additional" stimulants and improvement to the MMA, but I am not at liberty to discuss this, except to say that early morning trapping has been partially successful due to such work. Trapped mosquitoes dehydrate and die within a certain time, and it became possible to the estimate trapping time period when live mosquitoes are found in the traps in the late afternoon/evening.

Such advancements, even though modest, enforces the conviction that semiochemicals, [pheromones, allomones, kairomones, attractants and repellents], holds great promise as new tools for vector control.

This post is to inform those who are interested and to encourage those who are already working in/ studying this particular branch of biotech science.





nando
post Sep 23 2009, 11:47 PM

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QUOTE(mmatrapper @ Sep 20 2009, 05:34 PM)
Good Question! and I think you know the answer....NO! Have not found a trap that will work in the daytime when applied outdoors. If it works indoors, it is normally due to the mosquitoes having nowhere to go and eventually gets trapped, but not by deliberate design.

Even though aedes have been described as a daytime feeder by entomologists, I have not found papers that says they are "exclusive" and will not feed also at night. What I can confirm is that the MMA is "attractive" for the Aedes mosquitoes day or night.

Clearly, a true human host is far more complete and attractive for mosquitoes, aedes or otherwsie.

This "completeness" is the threshold that researchers are attempting to match or exceed, the ultimate solution.

We are not there yet, as the true human host includes size, heat, movement, scent [all sorts] and blood.

However, even though the current MMA semiochemical and trap do not work in the daytime, it is effective at night. The ability to trap the mosquitoes at night leaves only the incoming daytime mosquitoes to deal with, which is the final part of the ongoing investigation.

The current research and trials suggests that daytime trapping requires "additional" stimulants and improvement to the MMA, but I am not at liberty to discuss this, except to say that early morning trapping has been partially successful due to such work. Trapped mosquitoes dehydrate and die within a certain time, and it became possible to the estimate trapping time period when live mosquitoes are found in the traps in the late afternoon/evening.

Such advancements, even though modest, enforces the conviction that semiochemicals, [pheromones, allomones, kairomones, attractants and repellents], holds great promise as new tools for vector control.

This post is to inform those who are interested and to encourage those who are already working in/ studying  this particular branch of biotech science.
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There should be plenty of scientific papers describing Aedes as biters during dawn and dusks...something to do with the light spectrum at that time..

Aedes does not bite at night. IF the MMA is effective at night and not proven to work at daytime, i hope those responsible for marketing this product DO NOT RIDE ON THE DENGUE ISSUE just to promote and sell their gadgets...

the last thing we want is for the public to take more important issues such as cleaning house area, clogged drains and breeding sites lightly, just because they think a mosquite trapper is able to save them...

i am not against the product or any product but knowing the attitude of MAlaysians, its important that facts are provided correctly...

TSmmatrapper
post Sep 24 2009, 03:42 AM

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I appreciate your comments, and rightly so. I have, however, some disagreements with your opinion that Aedes do not bite at night.

1] A recent study concluded that Aedes have become active during the night, possibily because of night lighting in urbanised areas. Hostseeking activity by Aedes mosquitoes have adapted to these urban conditions.

2] A study concluded that Aedes do not take flight or display host seek responses when it is in total darkness. I will argue that Total darkness no longer exist in an urbanised environment.

3] another published study of Aedes biting periods in the carribean concludes that peak activity occurs in early morning and late evenings. This is a departure from the conventional diurnal "peak period" which was to be 11.00am -5.00pm.

4] Aedes egypti and Aedes albopictus was found to have different light requirements, due to their "eyes" size and structure. Measurements were made and ascertained. I estimate that a well lit urban street/home exceeded these light requirements.

I have two points to highlight.

Dengue became an urban problem and aedes developed a liking to urban dwellings. In Malaysia, the more urbanised cities records the highest consistent cases, while the less urbanised east coast had much lower incidences. Could this be due to increased night lighting which made it possible for Aedes to bite urban dwellers at night? or just unrelated circumstances, and that biting ONLY happens in the daytime.

The traps, like vector surveillance Biogents trap , Mosquito Magnet tested by USDA, and the MMA traps tested by UM, all caught Aedes mosquitoes at night. Could it be that Aedes are now seriously active in well lit urban cities and homes at night?

The premise that Aedes are ONLY active in the daytime, may no longer be an iron-cladded fact in our current urbanised environment. A night trap to take care of the night lights as a new counter balance tool is possible.

More important is your point of the need to clear homes and compounds of Aedes breeding areas. Mosquitoes are much like ants and cockroaches, and if you have a dirty infested compound, you'll always have them in your house, and because they hunt the dwellers, you'll get bitten more often.

Heed the warning by nando. Dengue can kill.

This post has been edited by mmatrapper: Sep 24 2009, 04:42 AM
nando
post Sep 24 2009, 10:03 AM

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interesting findings, especially on the Aedes biting activities.

the published study in Carribean you mentioned is exactly what i meant...dusk and dawn...that's when Aedes is most active...not at night...

You mentioned about a study concluded that Aedes becomes active at night and its due to the fact that there's no longer a total darkness in urban environment.
Can i have a reference as of how this study is conducted? is it using the leg biting trial? I've been personally involved in leg biting trial many years ago as a graduate student. Even in areas heavily infested with Aedes, whenever we conduct leg biting trial from 7-10pm, its always the Culex that bites. We hardly caught any Aedes.

This recent study you mentioned should be ground breaking and interesting. will love to have the actual reference and statistics. Surely this kind of study deserves to be published and not patented. IF the MMA traps and other traps all caught Aedes at night, perhaps publication is not priority as compared to patenting. That i can understand.

But if its a simple but reliable leg biting trial, it should be interesting. In addition, its not just about fooling mosquitos just because there are presence of light at night to induce them to bite. Aedes mosquitoes biting behaviour is also strongly related to the classic endophagous/exophagous (activity), endophilic/exophilic (resting) cycle. Meaning, if they bite at night, then they will need to change their resting behaviour as well. it has been years since i was involved in vector control research. It will be a huge impact and important finding, to know that Aedes aegyptii or albopictus actually bite at night as well. That is frightening....and worrying...

This post has been edited by nando: Sep 24 2009, 10:10 AM
TSmmatrapper
post Sep 24 2009, 03:58 PM

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www.tm.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/medical/PDF/JME-2005-42-312.pdf -
by H Kawada - 2005

Comparative Study on Nocturnal Behavior of Aedes aegypti and
Aedes albopictus

HITOSHI KAWADA,1 SHIN-YA TAKEMURA,2 KENTARO ARIKAWA,2 AND MASAHIRO TAKAGI1

In this study, they also suggest that it is an "adaptation" to light, not quite an evolution, but worrying, nonetheless.

I have a question that I hope you can help with. The semiochemical MMA elicits an aggressive response, and it is sufficient to cause close proximity hovering, which is all that is necessary for a suction fan trap to become effective.

However, in the video, the "probing" responses, even though aggressive, did not increase the landing and blood feed response of the same mosquitoes when they were presented with a live mice feed..in fact, it was a non-event.

Are there any other biological or behavioural instances, other than probing for food or blood, that is also expressed physically by such aggressive "probing" responses?

The "non-blood feed" suggests that the MMA response is more of a reaction to "scent induced agitation",which may have nothing to do with feeding, per se. Much like the "light stimulus" in the Kawada, et.al, publication above.

This is important for "traps", as it will imply that you can get them to respond outside/apart of their known hostseek/blood feed periods and patterns.

kaka4838
post Sep 28 2009, 09:15 PM

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Here's sth light to lighten up the atmosphere...
Havent you watch Lilo and Stitch? Mosquitoes are endangered species~~biggrin.gif

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